


He Came Back

by Bowtiez



Series: Learning to Parent [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, DUM-E is so pure, Father-Son Relationship, Feel-good, Fluff, Hurt Peter Parker, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Orphan Peter Parker, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent-Child Relationship, Pepper Potts Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Peter Parker is a Mess, Protective Peter Parker, Slow Burn, Smart Peter Parker, Teenage Dorks, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Regrets Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2020-06-28 14:46:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 87,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19814491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bowtiez/pseuds/Bowtiez
Summary: Everyone’s heard that old saying:‘If you love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours. If not, it was never meant to be.’Tony Stark never understood that quote- why give something you hold dear to you away?But, well, as he stares down at the little boy he’d given up to protect all those years ago-- that quote’s really starting to makesense.**Sequel to Publicity Parent**





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the sequel of Publicity Parent! Glad to see you here. This one is going to be fluffy teen!Peter and Tony trying to make sense of that!
> 
> If you haven't read the first book, I recommend it, as I will refer back to it at some points in this one, and maybe you can find some Easter eggs in here as I continue writing :D 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the first chapter!

You know that old saying, _‘If you love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours. If not, it was never meant to be._ ’? 

Tony Stark had never understood that quote. If you loved it, why would you let it go? He wouldn’t. Not if he could help it. He wouldn’t willing let something- _someone_ \- he loved go. 

It was ridiculous. 

Well, it _was_ ridiculous. 

The whole quote held a new meaning as the man stared down, hands curled spandex of a certain vigilante running amok in the Queens area. 

Behind the mask, was the one and only Peter Parker. That cute little nine-year-old he’d fallen in love with all those years ago. Aged and grown up (kinda). 

Of course, this would happen. Of course. He’d only let the kid go to give him a better, normal- safer life. 

And, it worked out _well_. 

_Spectacularly well_ , apparently. 

His kid was now falling into his lap, years later, genetically mutated with a spider- all selfless and unbearably self-sacrificing. 

“H-hey, Mister Stark...” 

_Honestly, why’d he even try?_

\---- 

Tony Stark had never really forgiven himself for giving Peter away. The kid was his. He truly believed Peter was his. How couldn’t he? They’d bonded on a different level. 

He loved the kid. 

He loved the kid like he loved Pepper, Rhodey, Happy- and, hell, even his robots. Peter was his family. 

But he couldn’t. He simply couldn’t live with himself knowing the boy could get hurt living with him. He _had_ gotten hurt. Peter had nearly blown himself up in Tony’s lab. And he couldn’t let that happen. 

It could’ve been so much worse than a small hairline fracture and his brain swelling. Way worse. They’d been lucky. Peter had been lucky. 

Peter needed a safe place. Somewhere where there weren’t constantly threats to his home, where labs containing explosives and chemicals weren’t hidden away behind closed doors (he could apparently open). 

And that just... it _wasn’t_ with Tony. 

It had been the hardest day of his life, packing up the boy’s belongings and sending him off with a social worker. 

It eased his mind a little that Peter didn’t remember him; that he had been clinging to the thought of his aunt. It was devastating that the boy wanted the woman who’d been deceased for years at that point, but it was easier on him that Peter didn’t remember what he was being taken away from. _Who_ he was being taken away from. 

Tony remembered though. Every moment of it. The moment his heart shattered when Peter’s broken voice called out for his aunt May being the last of his family. Remembered the news that Peter may never regain his memories of the past few months of his life- of that past month with Tony. 

It hadn’t been easy covering up why Peter had left to the world. 

The press didn’t have many good pictures of him. They didn’t have Peter’s last name, nor any important details besides the fact he was eight at the time of the press conference. There was bound to be hundreds of eight-year-old Peter’s around. 

Anyone who’d come into contact with Peter while he was in Tony’s guardianship, including the foster family the boy had been settled with after the accident had been forced to sign Non-disclosure agreements. 

No one could spill anything unless they had the millions of dollars Tony would obviously win in court. 

Peter’s files had been locked. Tony had done the coding himself- no one without the credentials could get into it. He sealed off that part of Peter’s life. 

They’d made up a little story about Peter’s parents finding him through the media of the billionaire fostering him. Returned to his family. A cute family reunion supposedly hosted at the Avenger’s Tower, closed to the world. 

The lie was worth it, considering Tony didn’t want the kid being stalked by the vultures. Especially not when he didn’t remember even meeting Tony. 

Tony kept himself from Peter’s life, withdrawing himself completely. He didn’t want updates. Updates of things he couldn’t see, or have. 

But he did supply anything the kid needed. Anonymously, of course. Peter would have no clue who was dropping the money whenever he wanted something. 

But Peter didn’t want much, and the man rarely got emails from the social workers. 

Peter wanted to attend Midtown School of Science and Technology? He’d already known of Peter’s plan, and had the exact fees settled in a trust account for when the boy was of high school age. A direct deposit of the school’s fees into social services bank account within the hour of the email being sent to him. 

Peter wanted to go on a school trip? He had an intern drop cash at the desk of Peter’s social worker for the kid to use. 

He wanted to take care of the boy the best he could. It was the least he could do. Even after all these years. Peter was still his kid. 

\---- 

Over the years, things had improved. 

His feelings of guilt had improved. He was starting to sleep without the anchoring thoughts of what could’ve been with Peter kept him up, instead he slept with Pepper curled into his arms. 

There were always new superhero's wanting to do their part, and join the Avengers. 

He and Pepper had finally gotten together, after years and years of tiptoeing around each other. 

He’s almost died. Many, many times. 

He’s got the compound off the reserves, a safe place for his friends to stay (y’know, without being dead center in New York). 

His suits have improved greatly, new additions being added after almost dying from something the suit didn’t already have. Trial and error at its finest. 

He’d never been more popular. With his ecofriendly buildings, Iron Man making more and more appearances and actually leaving his home to socialize; signing things for kids. 

Working a little more with S.H.I.E.L.D. 

It was rough, but he made it work. 

Kept himself busy. 

There was always something that needed to be done. 

Everything was fine and dandy. 

Until Spider Man started showing up in his internet feed. 

\---- 

The delinquent was all Tony could think about. 

A literal man running around Queens, _webbing_ people. 

But he only webbed criminals. The guy was actually pretty cool. Not a delinquent per se, more a vigilante. 

Tony took time to study what he could see from the YouTube compilations of how the web shooters worked, and what the webbing was made of. He made a few prototypes himself, determining that this guy must be a fucking genius. 

How this dude could walk up walls, and swing from building to building carelessly. 

Spider Man protected Queens. He stopped car accidents. He stopped muggings. The guy returned stolen fucking bicycles. 

The guy caught a bus with his bare hands. Who does that? What human can stop a bus going full speed with his bare hands. 

Which meant, as if you couldn’t already tell, that this guy had to be enhanced. There was nothing average Joe about climbing walls without equipment and being a brake system for a literal bus. 

The more he saw of this Spider Man, the more Tony wanted to catch him. The guy could be a great asset to the team- especially with all the shit going down with Cap and the rogues. 

That stupid fucking accords. 

The man knew he had to get to the kid before S.H.I.E.L.D got their hands on him. This guy had been keeping his identity a secret pretty well, but it would all be down the toilet if they got their mitts on the masked vigilante. 

With things going downhill with the accords, the man really needed to get in contact with the guy. They’d need all the help they could get. 

But it wasn’t like he could just vocalize a message across the entirety of New York. He’d need to be a little more discreet. 

“Friday, Dear, pull up everything on our friendly neighborhood Spider Man. Run scans of the most popular places Spider Man frequents.” 

“Yes, Boss.” 

\---- 

It hadn’t taken longer than twenty-four hours for Tony (with the help of Friday) to predict that Spider Man would be patrolling the main street of Queens. There was a bank, and a deli corner store thing around. 

All he had to do was look for mundane crimes that were just under NYPD pay grade and he’d find the vigilante. It was simple. 

The man propped himself up against a wall in a darkened alley. The texture of the bricks was sticking to his blazer jacket as he shifted from standing for what felt like hours. 

His phone was in his hands, and he scrolled through reports of the vigilante as he waited. 

It wasn’t long until activity started happening at the entrance of the alley. 

A drug deal. He knew the look of it. Had been in a few. He had a past, sue him. 

By the looks of the twitchy receiver, things weren’t going to go well. If Spider Man didn’t make an appearance, he’d have to step in before anyone got stabbed. The new chest plate armor he was working on was hidden in the Reactor so all he had to do was tap twice on it and he’d have his armor. 

But Spider Man did show up. Seconds before the man was about to take the deal gone wrong. The spider hero was perched on the ledge of the building, crouched down with his head tilted. 

“Hey, guys! This isn’t the best place to be sharing things,” the onesie clad hero huffed with a laugh, “there’s bad people in places like these!” Tony was instantly shocked. That was definitely not an adult's voice. He couldn’t imagine the guy being older than eighteen. He sounded much younger in person. 

The dealer shouted rage at the guy, stepping forwards, knife drawn. 

“Woah, hey, hey. I’m cool, dude. Cooler than twitchy, over there.” the vigilante held his hands up in surrender, shifting from foot to foot on the ledge of the building. “Hey, wait a second,” Spider Man’s eyes widened in mock shock, stepping easily off the ledge and landing gracefully on his feet in-between the two, “are you two doin’ an illegal exchange? That’s bad, guys!” 

Web shot from the guy’s hands, instantly locking the dealer to the wall. He fired a second shot behind his back, and the twitching man was webbed to the opposite wall. The videos really didn’t give the guy’s power justice. It looked way cooler in real life. 

“These webs’ll keep you two contained for a couple hours. More than enough time for the cops to come. Have a good night, you criminals! Drugs are bad!” And the guy swooped up. Tony stepped towards the two men, observing the web for a second before tapping his Reactor twice and taking off after the kid. 

“Hey, Spider Man,” he called to the guy bouncing from roof to roof. The guy paused, stumbling over his own feet and literally falling off the edge of the building. 

Tony stared for a pregnant pause, stunned by watching the guy just kinda... _flop_ over the edge of the building. 

He regained control of his surprise quickly, and met the guy on the ground. The kid had landed on top of a dumpster, the plastic lids cracked and bent in. 

“You okay, Spider Kid?” Tony questioned. He stepped out of the suit, not at all threatened by the kid. How could he be when the guy was picking pieces of trash off his onesie costume. 

“It’s, uh,” the guy cleared his throat, voice lowering an octave and puffing out his chest, “Spider Man.” 

“Sure, Spider Boy, whatever you say.” Tony tilted his head. “So, you’re the delinquent running around here, webbing people.” 

“Hey!” the guy gasped, hoisting himself from the dumpster, “I’m helping people!” 

“Sure, but you’re doing it against the law,” Tony wrinkled his nose at the kid, “one would have to ask themselves if that even made them better than the enemy they're taking down?” Okay. He didn’t need to go all philosophical on the kid. He didn’t really expect an answer, but he got one. 

“Of course, I’m better than the bad guys I take down.” the kid tilted his head. “They’re doing wrong. I’m just protecting my streets. I’ll protect it if no one else will. If I can, why wouldn’t I?” Tony watched as the kid brushed off a little more trash before banging his wrist against his palm. 

Silently, ignoring the billionaire’s eyes, the kid unlatched a contraption from his wrist opening it with ease and stripping a cartridge from it. He shuffled another identical cartridge from his onesie pocket and replaced the first, closing it and reattaching it to his wrist again. 

“Ever been to Germany?” Tony questioned after a moment of silence. 

“No,” the vigilante shook his head, “I’ve never left New York.” 

“Have a Passport?” 

“Nope.” 

“That’s fine. I’ll make do. I need your help, Kid.” 

\---- 

Tony left the Spider Kid to Happy. He knew the kid wouldn’t strip his mask with anyone. He wouldn’t if he was the kid. 

The private jet was an easy out for the guy not having a passport. And, the boy wouldn’t need to take his mask off. Happy was a trust worthy guy, and Tony knew he didn’t actually care whether the kid wanted to parade himself in a onesie, or strip the mask in the safety of the jet. He knew the kid wouldn’t. 

In hindsight, Tony should be concerned that he’s bringing an unknown vigilante across the world, but he can't be bothered to care- not when there’s so much riding on this. 

Of course, he had a suit ready for the boy. There was no way he’d bring Spider Man onto the big kids' playground when he was wearing pajamas. 

When the night of their flights came (two different because Tony had other things to be doing as well) Tony sent Happy off to collect the guy in the alley they’d first spoken in. The man lugging a huge hightech case containing his new, new and improved suit. Tony had spent a few days working on the suit. Adding all the cool techy stuff he was known for, but leaving the webbing to the vigilante. 

He’d need it, especially facing off against Captain America and his merry band of misfits. 

Tony didn’t give recruiting the youngster much thought while he sat reclined on his own plane ride. If he could rope up bad guys, he could do the simply task of webbing Cap’s shield and stealing it. 

Or, at least that was the plan. He didn’t actually know this guy, so he wasn’t going to give him some super important job. Hopefully the kid could pull through and do what was asked of him. 

\---- 

When the time finally came, both sides standing firmly in the middle of an airport runway, Tony gave the signal, cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting an inviting: “Underroos!” 

Surprisingly, the kid sprung out, webbing the shield as planned and ripping it straight from an unsuspecting Captain America’s hands. Just as he’d informed the kid to do. _Perfect_. 

Tony was impressed, not that he’d admit that. Spider Man pulled through exactly how he was supposed to, and then the fight took off. 

Whenever Tony managed a glance at the new guy, he was surprised to see him doing so well. He was holding up well against Falcon and that weird tiny large dude. He even managed will against Clint and Scarlett witch. Even managing to handle himself against that boyfriend Cap was risking _everything_ to protect. 

Then, then Cap threw part of the airport at the kid. _Jesus Christ_. 

_Seriously?_

Part of the fucking _airport_? Who does that? Who throws an airport at someone? 

Tony abandoned his opposite side sparring partner, flying towards the grounded kid. His heart hammered as he landed beside the kid, kneeling at his side. The guy was fighting with his mask, breathless gasps of ‘Can’t breathe, can’t breathe’, leaving the kid. 

He reached out to try and help the kid, but the boy started trying to fight back, so the man grabbed his two wrists and held them gently, “Hi, hey. Same team.” 

“Oh,” a shallow breath from the kid, “oh...” 

Tony worked to take the kid’s mask off, but the boy, surprisingly, was still trying to fight him. 

“No, no,” he gasped weakly, “no...” 

Despite the protest, Tony pulled the mask. It’s not like he’d tell anyone the kid’s identity. His secret was safe with him. The kid was going to suffocate if the mask didn’t come off. He’d had a building dropped on him for Christ’s sake. 

He finally managed to tear the fabric off, and a rush of air left his body. His blood ran cold and if felt like someone doused him with ice water. 

He stared into the eyes of the vigilante. Those very, _very_ familiar eyes. 

_This was... It’s..._ Tony swallowed thickly, taking in the fluffy brown hair and facial structure he’d had ingrained in his mind. Spider Man was... 

“H-hey, _Mister Stark_ ,” a weak cough, “long time no see, Sir.” 

_He was so fucking screwed._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A second chapter, because, wow!  
> This is doing better than I thought it would after the end of Publicity Parent.  
> Thanks for sticking around, guys!  
> All your guys' comments have been lovely (and very stressed out)!

To say Tony Stark was shocked by finding out that tiny being whom he used to cuddle, help bathe and whom he loved as if he was his own flesh and blood, was the Spider-Man he’d seen risking his life all over Queens for the sake of the general population, was a colossal understatement. 

Tony was astonished, appalled, in utter _aghast_. 

It was _unbelievable_. Completely mind blowing. 

_“You’re going home,”_ Tony growled, heart hammering as he stared into the Spider-Man's familiar doe eyes. The teen raised his torso on his elbows, a look of defiance in his eyes. 

Peter was _hurt_ again. 

He didn’t leave much time for the kid to speak, attempt to convince him to let him stay and help, before taking off into the sky. 

Tony just- he couldn’t. Not now. Why did it have to be right _now_? 

How the hell was he supposed to just brush this off? He was in the middle of a war between Captain America and himself. Half the Avengers were wanted fugitives. Everyone was taking hits; they were fighting _each other_. And now, to top everything off, Peter Parker is Spider-Man. 

Just fucking great. 

He couldn’t really take in the fact he’d just figured out. Simply brushed it under a rug in the back of his mind, to freak out about later in the comfort of his private jet. 

Tony left the kid in his dust, watching the boy flop over onto his side. He knew the kid would listen to him- he was Iron Man. Peter was _fifteen_. The man knew he’d have no problem finding Spider-Man now, he knew exactly where he could find Peter Parker. 

He really needed to get the answers he so desperately wanted- no, he _needed_ those answers. 

The fight left Tony Stark without most of his Avenger’s members, his best friend in the ICU with the possibility he may never walk again (well, on his own at least). He’d been backstabbed by Natasha; Cap had made it to the plane with his boyfriend and to top everything off, his body ached from the hell of a fight his _ex_ -friends put up. 

He managed his way through speaking with Clint and his new friends at the Raft, getting what he needed to find Steve and Bucky. 

By the time Tony managed to stumble into the safety of his jet, body protesting every movement and brain sluggish from finding out what Steve was holding as a secret, as well as getting his ass kicked by the man. 

He collapsed heavily onto the plush chair, allowing his eyes to finally drift shut as the plane moved smoothly down the runway. 

_‘Long time no see, Sir.’_ Tony jolted awake, eyes wide and breath quick. His brain was catching fire as the rug he’d stored Peter under was ripped up and instantly his entire brain was crowded with thoughts of the boy. 

_His Peter_. 

That sweet little boy he’d used when he needed some good publicity. 

Possibly the one person to ever love him completely the same through everything and to see him as both Iron Man and Tony Stark. 

The boy who called him _daddy_. 

Tony glanced out his window, dark grey clouds faded into a pitch-black night sky. 

Did Peter remember him? 

Remember their time together? 

It was nearly impossible. _Unlikely_ the doctor had muttered, face stricken with a sadness that was part of her daily routine. _Unlikely_. 

Tony let his head fall back against the plush headrest, a dull thrum coursing in his brain. He lost his battle with consciousness with the thought a little Peter. 

\---- 

Tony didn’t get around to visiting Peter for a week after his arrival back to the Avenger’s Tower, and just for the fact he was pretty banged up physically and emotionally. 

He was putting it off. Plain and simple. 

Guilty. That’s what he was. He was making up excuses to not go see Peter. 

He wasn’t sure his heart could take it- seeing Peter and being jabbed once more by the boy not remembering him. He loved this kid, still, even after years apart and the kid growing up, Tony couldn’t find it in himself to stop loving him. 

He knew Peter wasn’t the same. 

The kid was part spider, for one. 

It was still just him and Happy who know of Spider Man’s identity, keeping it a secret from Pepper a little longer while he figured everything out. All she knew was that Spider Man had been flown out to assist. 

Tony and Friday figured out Peter’s newest foster home together while the man sipped his third cup of coffee at three in the morning. 

He had plans to go check up on the kid, question him and maybe even scold him for being so reckless with the webbing _and_ catching busses _and airports_. 

His search led him to a small apartment building in the center of Queens. It was quaint, and didn’t appear structurally sound. Tony floundered for a second, scuffing his shoe on the pavement as he willed himself into the building. 

Inside, Tony noted the ‘out of order’ sign on the elevator, as well as how the stairs creaked harshly at each step of his trek. It was the lowest of the low, apparently. 

Peter’s floor was... gross. It was dirty from shoes and mud and questionable marks stained the walls. The mon was concerned that Social Services would allow... him to be here? 

He knocked lightly on the door, and it was pulled right open. He stared at the woman, questions dying on his lips as she gave him a once over before reaching to her side and grabbing something. 

The woman was older, a couple years older than himself. She brushed past him, barely acknowledging him as she disappeared down the apartment building hallway. 

The door remained wide open, so Tony slipped in silently. There wasn’t much to say that a teen lived there- or, well that anyone was currently living there. The room smelt stale, and everything was neat and tidy. 

“Uh, hello?” Tony twirled in surprise to see Peter standing in the center of the room, a Poptart in his hand and a look of confusion accompanying a raised eyebrow. 

“Oh,” Peter let out a soft breath, “Mister Stark, what are you... how’d you find me?” 

“I’m a genius, Kiddo. I can find just about anyone.” Tony scoffed. The kid stepped into the room, eyeing the living room before turning away. 

“Now, I think we need to talk.” 

\---- 

The man didn’t really imagine Peter’s room to look like this. It was small, just like the rest of the apartment. 

A dinosaur of a computer was perched on an unsteady desk. He didn’t mention the obvious fact that the boy was a dumpster diver. He had a single bed pushed in the corner of the room, as well as his onesie costume was conspicuously hidden in the ceiling. 

Tony stared around the room, noting each piece of clothing tossed carelessly, as well as Lego collectibles (at least some things didn’t change) and nerdy posters. 

“So,” Tony started, “where should we start? Spider-Man, the great protector? Germany? Hmm, your interesting DNA that appears to be bonded with Spider DNA?” 

“We could start with six years ago?” 

The older paused, struck frozen as he looked at the teenager settled on his bed. Peter’s legs were kicked out, one ankle crossed over the other. His arms stretched back on the mattress, hands folded and supporting his upper body. Peter’s head held the slightest tilt and his eyes were bright with curiosity. 

Just like when he’d watch the man in his lab. 

“You,” Tony breathed quietly, fighting off the urge to run, “what _do_ you remember?” 

Peter hesitated, eyes down, “not much really,” Peter's words were quiet, and Tony felt his heart start to break again, “but I do know. I may not remember, but I know.” 

“How?” 

“My records. The foster records.” 

“No. You couldn’t have. _I_ sealed those off. _I_ coded that file so no one could access it unless they were authorized, and sorry, Kiddo, but that’s not you.” 

“I know you fostered me, for one month. In August; six year ago.” 

“How do you know,” Tony questioned, the question sounding whiney to his own ears, but he was positive it held more authority when he saw Peter winced. “How do you know that, Peter?” 

“I uh, m-my friend. He, he hacked into it... I had to know, Mister Stark. You don’t _understand_. I lost months of my life. People were lying to me left, right and center.” Peter’s voice cracked, and Tony couldn’t help but stare at the kid, that kid he loved so damn much, “I just... I wanted some truth. I needed to know, Mister Stark.” 

The man didn’t say anything. What was there to say? Peter just admitted to once again attempting to hack into his software. The man refused to acknowledge the fact that a friend of this kid had hacked into his codes, just like Peter had all those years ago. And he glossed right over the fact that the kid still, even after not remembering him and not knowing him, acted _just_ like him. 

“I know you took me in. I know it was a good month- hell, the best month of my life even. Those press pictures of Peter- that Peter whose family you found; I know it’s me. I can see slivers of my face, my face that’s turned into your shoulder. I... what happened, Mister Stark?” 

“Peter...” Tony whispered, moving slowly to sit beside the kid. He knew child Peter was clingy, but it appeared teenager Peter had standards. 

He didn’t reach out to touch the kid, not wanting to invade his space. 

“It’s true, I did foster you.” Tony mumbled into the room. He refused to look at Peter, his eyes burning into a poster of Iron Man on the kid’s wall. “It was a publicity arrangement. You don’t know how all that shit works, I’m sure, but it looked good on me to bring you into my home and spoil you.” 

Peter was silent, so Tony continued. 

“I’m sorry Pete. I’m sorry Pepper and I did that to you. You were just this cute little kid who had not a cent to his name. It wasn’t like that in the end though. It wasn’t just for the public. You, I- I... Peter, I wanted to spoil you, and take care of you. But... things didn’t work out that way, had to... y’know, take a step back.” It both hurt his soul and felt good on his chest at the same time to finally disclose his mistake to the one impacted by it. Apologize after all these years just sitting on the fact, he knew how wrong it was to do that to a kid. 

“By abandoning me?” Peter’s voice held a snarl Tony hadn’t heard from the boy. He glanced at Peter, surprised to see the anger there; he hadn’t expected it. “I was a kid, Mister Stark. You were all I had, and you left me.” Peter was vibrating in anger now, pointing his finger at the man, “all after, after that stupid car accident!” 

Yes, all after that stupid- wait. _Car accident?_

The man turned his attention to the boy, confusion heavy as he stared for a second. Peter didn’t know what had gone down? He didn’t know they wouldn’t tell him he’d been in an accident in a lab. He didn’t know they’d tell the kid he was in a car crash. He didn’t mention it though, it better the kid believed that. 

“Woah, Peter. I never abandoned you.” Tony stood quickly to face the boy, shaking his head furiously. “I never did. I _stepped back_. I took care of you the only way I felt I was capable of doing.” 

He knew he sounded sad, compelled to spill everything to the boy, but knowing that would make everything worse. 

Peter deflated, face scrunching up in what could only be confusion. 

“I don’t understand,” Peter huffed, “I don’t understand your word puzzles.” 

“I was there, Kid. I got updates on you; I have emails saved from your social worker. I wanted to be there, but, I... I couldn’t. It’s not your fault or anything, I just couldn’t. But I took care of you. Anything you needed. How do you think you got into Midtown? The foster system doesn’t have funds to bus kids off to fancy schools like that.” 

Peter was silent again, tilting his head to take in the man stood in the middle of his bedroom. 

“That was you?” 

“Who else would it have been?” Tony scrunched his nose up, raising an eyebrow at the boy. 

Peter shrugged, settling back into his relaxed position once more, “dunno. They didn’t say. Anonymous donator. I thought it was a little weird that it was the exact about the fees costed. Also, that it was all going to me, other kids needed it more then I needed to go to Midtown.” 

“No, it was me. I didn’t want you to know. All that-” Tony made a gesture in open space beside him, “was supposed to be a secret. You aren’t supposed to know any of this, Peter.” 

“But, why,” Peter practically begged, “why, Mister Stark? It’s my life. I should know!” Tony didn’t answer, just stared at his expensive shoes that looked out of place in the boy’s bedroom. 

“So, how long you been here? That lady didn’t seem too into it.” 

Peter noticed the direct conversation change, but knew he wouldn’t be getting anything more from the billionaire. He huffed before responding, “’bout a year. Closer to the school, and I needed out of the other home. It’s just me here, she only wanted an older kid she could leave home alone. I’m basically her pay cheque.” 

Tony fought down his need to snarl and fight for the kid. He was more than a _pay cheque_. Peter was brilliant; he was going to do (and already was) doing big things with his life. 

Peter studied the man’s face, which was morphing from anger to distress, “I mean, it’s cool. I’m barely home, and when I am, she usually isn’t. I’ll be eighteen in a few years and then I’ll be free from the system.” Peter backpedaled. He didn’t know why he felt the need to console the man, but it was there. 

“What have you been doing beside the whole Spider-Man thing, which by the way- we _will_ be talking about later.” 

Peter had the decency to look guilty, and the man shook with an unknown emotion. 

“School mostly, I have that side job too- at Delmar's. A little cash in my pocket in case things get rough,” Peter spoke so honestly, that Tony’s heart hurt. “I hang out with Ned a lot too, and then there’s academic Decathlon- I did do band and robotics club, but there wasn’t time anymore with Spider-manning.” 

Tony let out a low whistle, eyeing the boy. A full plate. “And, how do you have time to, I don't know, _sleep_?” 

The sheepish look from the boy was all Tony needed to groan in his head and want to bang his head off the door. The kid was so much like him it practically _hurt_. 

“Okay, you’re quitting that side job-” 

“What? No! I need that job, Mister Stark. I need the money-” 

“You didn’t let me finish,” Tony rolled his eyes pushing the kid’s tense shoulder back in a joking manner, “as I was saying, you’ll quit that job because I’m offering you a paid internship at Stark Industries.” They didn't really offer paid internships at Stark Industries. It was a learning experience, not an actual job- but Tony was willing to do anything for this kid- including ignore the age qualification that played a big role in the applicants getting accepted. 

“Wait... really?” Peter looked amazed, eyes wide with excitement, “you’re serious?” 

“Deadly,” Tony deadpanned, earning a chuckle from the kid. “We need some cover up for you to come to tower, or the compound- where ever I am, and whenever you need to. And you’ll need to work on your suit and shit, so we’ll make it a paid job.” The man explained, coming up with it as the words flew from his mouth. 

He hid his internal doubts about letting the kid in his lab. But Peter was older. Peter didn’t remember blowing himself up. Peter was _Spider-Man_. 

“I get to keep the suit?” Peter’s eyes were wide as his eyes drifted to the metallic case sitting tucked under a sheet. Tony knew it was there, it wasn’t hidden well. 

The man nodded once before he could come back on his word and break the kid’s heart. 

“This is so awesome, Mister Stark!” 

“We’ll need to get your foster on board, or, I can go directly to your social worker. We can get into your pay later, but I was thinking you could come around every weekend, or whenever you need something.” Tony muttered, thumb resting under his chin and index finger brushing along his beard. 

“This is so cool, Ned’ll never believe me! I can tell him, right, Mister Stark?” 

“Knock yourself out kid.” 

It made him happy to see Peter looking so happy. He’d really missed the kid. Missed his smile, and his bright brown doe eyes. His fluffy curls that he’d apparently started gelling to his head. 

He had the kid back. 

Not in the same sense as before, but this was better than nothing. He’d probably never be that person to Peter again, but he couldn’t ask for anything more than the boy smiling at him like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you are used to the continuous updates in Publicity Parent, but I cannot be that active anymore :(  
> I'm currently in the process of moving across the country, so for the next couple weeks I'll be super busy- but I will try super hard to update _at least_ once a week.
> 
> Bully me into updating if I forget, that usually works lol
> 
> Once again, thank you for sticking around and reading both fics! I'll make this one super fluffy to make up for being a terrible person in the first book :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again! Wanted to write some cutesy fluff between my favorite father-son relationship. 
> 
> My older brother moved out today, and I'm pretty sure I have heat stroke from helping him and his friends. Now I'm sad because he's all I've known for 18 years and now he'll be living in another province :c
> 
> He also took two of our cats and that also makes me sad.
> 
> Anyways! Enjoy~

The first time Peter turned up at Tony’s Compound, the boy was beyond excited. He was still irked at the man for withholding precious information about their month of living together, but he was excited nonetheless to be seeing Mister Stark’s lab up close and personal. 

Tony had parted from the phone that Thursday with the promise of all-day Friday after school and all of Saturday being spent in the lab and working on the Spider-Man suit. He was sleeping over at Mister Stark’s compound- which was super cool. Maybe he’d get to actually meet some of the other Avengers, y’know, the ones aren’t arrested or on the run. 

Peter was amazed at the prospect that Tony was taking the passenger’s seat with the Spider-Man suit from now on. It was weird since it was the man’s creation- but he was handing over the reins and letting Peter do his own thing: making the web cartridges and web fluid. 

Of course, there was still that ‘Tony Stark’ flare, and man took great concern on installing an AI for Peter- like seriously, he got his own artificial intelligence- and adding some protocols that Peter allowed only because Mister Stark was the creator of the suit and he’d been nice enough to gift the technology to Peter. 

He really didn’t want to scroll through the _long_ list of protocols the man had in order. 

When Friday morning came around, the teen continued about with his day, getting ready that morning and shoving his suit in his backpack like he did every morning. He stopped in at Delmar's to pick up his pay, which he got every Friday, usually only fifty or sixty dollars, but it was always enough to get him through the week. 

Delmar totally loved Peter, but would never admit it. The man slid Peter’s favorite sandwich (with extra pickles and squished down flat) across the counter with his pay cheque. 

Peter wasn’t one for handouts, but he accepted the sandwich with a half-smile. He knew his boss was concerned about him, and it made him sad that he’d have to quit. But Tony was right, he didn’t have the time to work, be Spider-Man and focus on school (which everyone was so adamant about?) 

That was for another day though. 

School had been the usual blur of classes, lunch and gym. Flash bullied him a little, but who cared? He was Spider-Man. At least the bully was picking on someone who could take it, instead of one of the freshmen who had coming into high school hard enough. 

To Peter’s great surprise there was a shiny Audi parked right outside the school when the last bell for the day sounded. 

Happy was stood beside the car, giving the school a glare from the distance. 

Peter’s cheeks flushed at the sight of Mister Stark’s driver being at his school, waiting for him. He rushed towards the man, praying no one paid enough attention to the billionaire to notice his driver in the parking lot. Sure, people paid the expensive car attention, but only for a couple seconds before continuing on their way- disregarding the driver and nobody Peter Parker shuffling his way towards it completely. 

Thank God for that. He didn’t know how he’d explain that Monday morning if anyone questioned it. 

“Hey, Happy!” Peter greeted, smile bright as he pulled the backseat door open. 

“Hey, kid,” Happy gave the tiniest smile, opening his door as well. The two slipped into the car, and Peter buckled up quickly. 

Peter didn’t really expect much conversation from the man, and he didn’t really get more then strange looks shot back at him from the rearview mirror. He couldn’t decide what the looks meant, they were almost as if Happy was studying him, eye flicking about his face through the mirror, but Peter pretended it wasn’t happening and didn’t bring it up. 

The man was nice enough to be driving him to see Mister Stark, and Happy was an important man that he’d probably be seeing a lot of, so Peter didn’t want to get off on the wrong foot. 

The drive was quiet; Peter’s foot tapping in anticipation as he stared out the window. This was a dream come true, going to check out _Tony Stark’s_ lab, getting to work on his very own _super suit_. 

Peter jumped from the car when it pulled to a stop in front of the compound, which he’d never been too before. It was huge, and people hustled around. More people were there then he’d expected, and it was shocking to see this was actually a job site, and not just a home for the Avenger’s. 

“Thanks, Happy, I, uh, I’ll see you sometime to take me back? Or, or not? I mean- I can, I can find a way-” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see you sometime Saturday afternoon, Kid.” Peter beamed at Happy, silently happy the man was willing to return him to Queens. 

Peter watched the car pull away from the curb, a pit of anxiety settling in his chest as he turned back to the building. It was bigger than Peter imagined, and there was wayy more people the he’d expected. 

Mister Stark wasn’t in sight, and he wasn’t sure if he could just walk in. Did they have security or something? This was people’s jobs, and surely some strange kid walking in would raise some questions? 

What would happen if he got kicked out? Kicked out an no one could reach Mister Stark? 

With a calming breath, Peter pushed the door open and slowly walked in. 

“Good afternoon, Mister Parker,” a voice greeted, and Peter whipped around to locate who was speaking to him. “Do not be alarmed, Mister Parker, I am Friday. Mister Stark’s personal Artificial Intelligence.” 

“Friday,” Peter tasted the name on his lips, the word coming easy and an unsettling churn in his stomach. He knew that name; knew the voice. He’d met Friday before, for sure. “Mister Stark knows I’m coming, right?” 

“Yes, Peter. Mister Stark is on his way down. He has been alerted of your presence.” 

Okay. That was cool. Maybe Happy texted him? 

“Hey, Kiddo, glad you could make it,” Tony whistled behind the boy, drawing his attention in. Peter ginned involuntarily, stepping quickly towards the man. 

“Hey, Mister Stark, thanks for inviting me! I can’t wait to see your lab!” Peter beamed. He faltered his happiness when something flashed through Tony’s eyes and his body went rigid for a second before he returned to his relaxed confidence. 

It was gone just as fast as it appeared, and left Peter with confusion. Not that he’d bring it up, because he wouldn’t invade in Mister Stark’s privacy like that. 

“So, you ready to head down?” 

“Yeah!” Peter grinned, hurrying to catch up to the man as he turned swiftly and made his way down a hallway. Peter fell into step with the man, a warmth flowing over him at the small smile he got when he strode beside his idol. 

The entered an elevator and Peter watched in awe as the man instructed Friday to take them to the lab. 

“Hey, Mister Stark,” Peter questioned, “how’d Friday know I was here?” 

“A chip in your suit.” Tony explained briefly, then sighed and continued when the boy looked at him with confused eyes. “To enter the Avenger’s tower or the Compound, everyone needs a badge or else they’ll have security on their ass quite fast. I slipped the chip that would be in one of those plastic badges into the hard drive in your AI, so Friday and connect to your AI whenever needed, and she can use her sensors to locate you in a building.” 

“Woah, that’s so cool!” 

“Of course, I modified your chip, so Friday will tend to keep a closer eye on you; since you’re underage and don’t technically work here. You have access to restricted areas in both buildings, so Friday can just let you through instead of having to argue with security and all that shit to get to where you need to go.” The man looked anywhere but at Peter as the elevator took them down, “we’ll get you a regular badge made for when you come for the internship thing at the tower. Can’t have people asking questions why you can move freely without a badge, but it’ll have the same credentials as the suit, just in the regular uniform form.” 

“Awesome,” Peter hummed, his smile was small, but wide and his eyes twinkled even in the dull light of the elevator. 

Tony snorted a laugh, giving the smaller boy a onceover, “sure, Kid, _awesome_.” 

When they stopped in the lab, Tony watched with hidden interest to gage the boy’s reaction. Young Peter had been thrilled to see his lab, and, as it appeared, older Peter was more excited than when he was younger, which was honestly hard to do. 

“You try your hand, Kiddo, wanna see if the coding worked.” 

Peter turned back to his mentor; eyes wide, “seriously? My hand’ll unlock it? I can open the lab?” 

Tony swallowed hard, “I mean, yeah- if the coding works.” Tony gestured to the door and Peter stepped up, “just remember I can take this away just as fast, don’t screw the pooch, Kid.” 

“I won’t!” And Peter’s confidence was almost bright enough to justify giving this boy whose doe eyes were ingrained in his brain, free privilege of the lab he’d blown himself up in when he was nine-years-old. 

_Almost_. 

Like clockwork, Peter pressed his hand to the scanner, watching with amazed curiosity as it scanned across his palm before the lock clicked open and Tony pushed the door open. 

The man knew it would work, he’d done the coding himself, so he was positive it would’ve worked. But this was his roundabout way of inviting Peter into the lab to work with him whenever he wanted without _actually_ inviting the boy to the lab. 

“I can’t believe this,” Peter grinned at the man, the happiest he’d been in years. He ducked under the man’s arm and walked into the room, eyeing everything thoroughly. 

“Neither can I, Kid,” Tony mumbled to himself when the boy was out of ear shot. 

It was surreal to have Peter back in his lab, except it was better if that was possible. The kid could hold his own. Peter had been making his own web fluid and web shoots, who knows where- and the kid had survived. 

Tony could leave the kid alone in the lab now (he wouldn’t, his heart couldn’t take that) but he could if he had too. 

Tony watched as the boy walked around, observing everything and taking in the whole experience of the multi-million dollar lab. 

Tony didn’t look up until he heard the telltale whir of a certain bot. 

“Hey, little guy!” Peter cooed at the boy. DUM-E chittered at him, whirling around and chirping happily. The bot _remembered_ Peter. DUM-E remembered the kid. For no one to step foot in this lab (besides Tony) had the bot been this excited, literally no one. DUM-E only ever greeted Tony with such enthusiasm. 

Few visited the lab, and none got any reaction from the bot- but none acknowledged the bot either. 

But along comes Peter Parker, six years later, and he’s still got the bot wrapped around his finger. 

He didn’t even know how DUM-E remembered Peter, the kid had grown, changed his hair. He wasn’t that little eight-year-old DUM-E had loved to follow around and grab handfuls of the back of his shirt. 

“Mister Stark, what’s this?” Tony looked towards the boy who was casting a fond look towards him. DUM-E's claw had gripped a handful of Peter’s shirt, just like the bot had done when the boy was little, as he chirped with was the equivalence of the bot’s excitement. 

“Hey, you little shit,” Tony scolded, standing to walk towards the boy who retracted its claw and whirled around in excitement of getting Tony’s attention. Tony stepped up beside Peter, giving the bot a playful glare. 

“He’s so cute,” Peter titled his head at the chittering bot, DUM-E was loving the attention. 

“This is DUM-E, Peter.” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, eyeing the bot with a look of underlying fondness. The small robot had saved his life all those years ago, and he was definitely on the top of Tony’s love list, not that he’d tell anyone. Ever. “I built him back in 1986, and he’s been going strong ever since. One of the first things I built by myself.” The man didn’t bring up the Malibu mansion explosion, which had almost completely destroyed the cheerful little robot. 

“Wow,” Peter gaped, tilting his head to inspect DUM-E. It was cute that Peter was still amazed by things he’d created, and it was a little nice (mostly devastating) that the boy got to relive through meeting everything. 

The man rolled his eyes fondly at his two favorite children. The bot vibrated with the attention he was receiving from Peter, chirping and reaching his arm to touch Peter. Peter would laugh, and tell the bot he was cute, all the while running his fingers along the smooth metal of DUM-E's base. 

Tony was thankful he’d never given the bot a voice. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that good ol’ dumb DUM-E would be spilling everything from the month Peter stayed with them if he had the chance. 

Tony turned to locate a tool he needed for the newest Iron Man piece he was working on. 

“Is he like this with everyone?” Peter giggled, like actually giggled, as the boy pinched his cheek gently, a repetition of excited whirs and chirps. 

“No,” Tony answered absentmindedly as he searched for a tool he needed, only to pale and look up quickly to see if the boy had noticed his slip. Thankfully Peter hadn’t, too distracted with his new-old companion, so he back petalled casually, “I haven’t seen him to this to anyone, he must really like you.” And that was true. DUM-E had never been this hands-on, even with Peter. The man could only assume the bot missed Peter as much as he had. 

Guilt pulled at his heart as he watched his robot and the boy he thought of as his son interact. It was so smooth that Tony almost wouldn’t believe Peter didn’t remember spending hours with the bot in the lab while he worked, and that the bot hadn’t seen the kid in years. 

“I thought you wanted to work on your suit,” Tony prompted, not bothering to look up from his own project. DUM-E made a deflated whirring noise as Peter appeared at his side, watching over his shoulder. 

“Is that the Iron Man armor?” Peter’s voice held excitement he’d never heard before, so the man nodded mutely. “That’s so cool! I’ve never seen it this close up, well, y’know since we went to Germany- which was cool, by the way. Thank you for that, that was awesome.” 

Tony waved him off, his heart fluttering as the boy spoke about never seeing the suit. Peter had sat directly in his lap while he worked away for hours on end. Never tiring, never growing bored, just watching with bright examining eyes. He wanted so badly to tell the boy. Wanted Peter to remember, and for him to finally, _finally_ , after all these years, adopt him and make everything official- but he couldn’t. 

As it was now, Peter was safe. Safe from him. Safe from Iron Man, and attacks on him for simply knowing the billionaire. Tony tried, he really did, but he couldn’t keep people safe. 

Just ask Pepper, who was kidnapped and became a literal bomb thanks to the Extremis Virus that was injected into her blood stream. All because young Tony had been a dick to some weird guy back in 1999. 

It was one thing for the woman he’d loved since he met to almost die, but it was another entirely to see a nine-year-old at the hands of some criminal who was using the kid to get to him. He couldn’t even imagine that happening. He’d fight tooth and nail to rescue Peter, no matter what. 

But no one knew he loved Peter like this. No one could use the kid against him. No one knew Peter at all. And he’d be damned if anyone even _tried_ to use his kid against him. 

Tony watched as the boy unzipped his backpack, and laid the suit along the work bench as if it were the most delicate thing he’d ever touched. 

“I wanted to work on some new web fluid.” Peter pulled a perfectly folded sheet of paper from a pocket in his backpack, “been thinkin’ of it, but we don’t have Carbon Tetrachloride in the Chem lab at school, so I’ve been grounded to my regular formula,” the boy explained, tapping his chin with a pen as he stared at a lined sheet of paper. 

“Should have some, check that shelf,” Tony mumbled, taring his eyes from the paper to focus on his own suit as he pointed lazily over his shoulder. 

“Really? Awesome, Mister Stark!” 

Tony glanced periodically at his kid, making sure he was alright as he focused halfheartedly on his own project. 

Peter looked as if he was in his element, clad with safety goggles and protective gloves. Peter’s tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth slightly, and his eyebrows furrowed in thought. His lips moved as he mouthed things to himself, and it was nice watching the kid. 

Knowing the kid was safe with him for this period of time, and seeing how much he’d grown, but how he was still almost exactly the same personality wise. 

His heart swelled at the small smile settled on the kid’s lips as his experiment was successful, and how his cheeks puffed out when something didn’t go as planned. 

“Do’ya think that if I upgraded the web cartridges and made them smaller and more condensed, they’d fit better in the wrist shooters? They’re pretty clunky, but I had to work with what I found...” 

“We can see what I have laying around? Or I could order some parts for you. Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing I’ve ordered.” Tony shrugged, lifting his screwdriver to make it look like he hadn’t been watching the kid. 

“Hm, I’ll see what you have around, I don’t want you wasting any more money on me.” 

“Hey, woah, woah, woah. Sit your ass down, Parker.” Tony really couldn’t explain his outburst, and by the way Peter’s face scrunched up as he slowly back tracked and settled into his seat watching the man with confused curiosity, he didn’t know what was going on any more then Tony did, “it’s not _wasting_ money on you. It’s using the funds I have to improve something you’ll be using to protect people.” _To protect yourself_. 

“I know, but the suit-” 

“No, no. The suit was a prototype anyways, I’ve had that in the works since you first jumped in front of the bus powering through full speed. Face it, Parker, I’d’ve done all this whether you took me up on Germany or not. Would’a found you either way and given it to you.” Okay, so that was half the truth. He did have the suit in the works, but he probably wouldn’t have given it to the guy if he found it wasn’t Peter, or if the boy refused Germany. 

He had this need to protect the little boy he’d known, not some random dude in a onesie. So, maybe he put a rush on the suit’s completion and upgrades when he’d found out it was _his_ Peter, but who could blame him? 

“I don’t...” Peter looked beyond confused, staring at Tony like he was trying to calculate the man, but coming up empty, “why do you like me so much, Mister Stark?” 

Tony cleared his throat, “there’s a Stark Pad plugged in over there, holograms may be slow, but it’ll work. Search for your parts you need and have Friday place an order,” then to the sky, the man continued, “anything ordered by Spider-Baby will be put on rush and ordered ASAP. Peter Parker has the freedom to order whatever he needs, no questions asked- unless it’s me asking questions. Got it, Friday?” 

“Yes, Boss.” The accented AI replied immediately. Tony chanced a look at the boy whose eyes narrowed with ingenuous as he studied the man who turned his attention away quickly. 

Deflection was Tony Stark’s greatest quality. A coping mechanism to things he wanted to spill, but knowing he shouldn’t. 

“Thank you, Mister Stark,” Tony watched from the corner of his eye as the boy moved to the Stark Pad mentioned, figuring it out in seconds, then scrolling through the parts with small flicks of his finger. 

DUM-E rolled up beside Tony, chirping quietly, and trailing his hand along the man’s knee in a comforting gesture. Tony sighed, patting the bot silently as his eyes trailed back to the Teen. 

Peter was smarter now, and it was hard to keep everything a secret- especially when he wanted nothing more than to tell the boy everything and have things go back to how it was before the explosion. 

He knew he was going to fuck this up at some point, but was that _really_ a bad thing? 

Peter knowing couldn’t be _that_ bad...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Editing may be questionable, just comment if you find anything I may have missed! I'll have the next chapter up within this next week, hopefully I'll have the time!
> 
> Also, thank you for all the positivity on the first two chapters, as well as the kind messages about me moving! They were lovely, so thanks :)
> 
> Comment any suggestions for cute fluff you guys wanna see happen in this fic, it's a feel good fic to make up for the last chapter of Publicity Parent and I want to give you guys the option to contribute if you wanna c:


	4. Chapter 4

Peter knew he should probably be more careful when it comes to Spider-Manning. Of course he knew. 

He’d been doing it for a while now. Knew the do’s and don’t's that came with his responsibility.

But it wasn’t really a thought to dwell on while he was laying hunched over himself in a darkened alleyway. He cradled his stomach, stab wound pulsing painfully with ever breath. 

He was bleeding, probably far more then was considered acceptable, but what could you do? It wasn’t too bad, he could still think rationally-ish, and he was only just starting to get dizzy as his blood stained fingers lifted slightly before planting back over his wound. 

He’d known that the man was armed, sensed it easily. His spidey-sense going haywire as soon as the man stepped up to the woman digging through her shopping bag. 

What he didn’t know, however, was that the man had a fucking machete stashed away in his jeans. The mugger started out with a dainty little pocket knife, threatening the woman, as she cried out in fear. 

Peter stepped up, like always, using himself to separate the two, then turning to tell the petrified woman to run. Peter may have been cocky, he may have slapped the pocket knife from the mans outstretched arm, and he may have hid a wince as the blade slashed his forefinger, but no biggie.

The man curled his nose up as Peter sashayed towards him with smug eyes, then _wham_ , machete. 

The mans movements were quick, slipping the weapon from the cover buried deep in his jeans, and lunged forward catching Peter just a second faster then the boy was thinking. 

It was a small machete, but it still hurt, and there was still a literal stab hole in his side. 

Then, there was the added fact that he’d been brushing off meals and really pushing his luck when it came to how long he could stay awake and out helping people. 

He knew this impacted his healing, and also delayed his spider sense. His metabolism needed almost triple the average man to run regularly, and here Peter was skipping the cafeteria at lunch, and stepping out as soon as he wouldn’t be noticed. 

The teen took a sharp breath, reaching a red stained hand to his mask to push it up from his mouth and nostrils. 

There was just something about bleeding out that really made him feel like he was suffocating in his mask. He coughed weakly, ignoring the freckles of blood left in his arm crease. 

“You appear to be in critical condition.” Peter gasped at the sudden voice, groaning in pain as he jostled his body too much, “I recommend you seek medical attention as soon as possible, to prevent further worsening. Shall I contact Mister Stark?” 

He’d forgotten about Karen. It was still new having an AI constantly with him. 

“No, uh, no, Karen. I’m good.” The teenager swallowed shallowly, vision blurring as he stared at the worn brick siding of the building across from where he was slumped over. 

“You appear to be in distress, my protocols ensure that I am to alert Mister Stark if your blood pressure drops significantly.”

“No-“

“Calling Mister Stark-”

 _This’ll be fun._  
——

Tony had been finishing up in his lab, ready to head up to bed with Pepper. 

As it was now, the man was starting to fall into a regular sleep schedule now that he had someone like Pepper to herd him around and tell him where to be and when. It was just different now that he was dating the woman. 

She had more control over him now, if that was even possible. 

He was still his own man, though, and he’d have rough nights... weeks...

He still sometimes stayed up for forty-plus hours at a time on occasion, but he was getting better at normal human-ing.

He turned towards the door, sighing in contentment as he ordered Friday to shut the lights off in the lab, and in each room of the penthouse as he made his way through. 

He got to the bathroom, relieving his bladder and moving to wash the motor oil from his hands when a voice interrupted him, “Boss, it appears we have an incoming call from Karen.”

“Karen?” Tony tilted his head, racking his brain for anyone who could possibly have the means to call him at this ungodly hour. 

“Karen is the name, young Parker has chosen to give the artificial intelligence in the Spider-Man suit. A distress call under the ‘training wheels’ protocol is on hold. Shall I put it through?”

“Yes!” Tony gaped, turning hurriedly to the door. What the actual fuck? “And for future instances, anything form Karen or Peter comes straight through, doesn’t matter what I’m doing. Got it, Honey?”

“Of course, Boss.”

The ten seconds it took for Friday to connect through to Karen were quite possibly the longest in Tony’s life. The man stared impatiently at the ceiling, seconds away from snapping at his own AI before the call clicked and a heavy breath filled the bathroom.

“You alright over there, Kiddo?” Tony forced his voice to even out, refusing to let his worry leak through. Peter already thought he was too invested in him, and this would only make matters worse. The kid wanted answers, which was understandable, but Tony simply couldn’t tell the Kid anything yet. 

“I’m t-“ a pained huff form the teen, “totally fine, Mister Stark. I’m sorry to disturb you so late, Karen must’ve... y’know, _butt dialled_ you or, or something.”

“Yeah,” Tony rolled his eyes, voice taking on a strict tone, “sure, Pete. The AI located in the mask of the suit butt dialled me. And I guess she also sent your incident report, footage from your patrol and your vitals that are always being tracking to me by accident as well too, right?” 

Tony slipped his glasses programmed with Friday onto his face to see everything the AI was being sent from Karen. He withdrew a slow breath as his eyes scanned over everything sent to him.

“Y-yeah, I mean-“

“Cut the bullshit, Kid. Where the hell are you, what the fuck happened, and why didn’t you call me?”

Tony knew his voice held malice, he was pissed off. It wasn’t until a hand was placed on his shoulder did the anger drain from him. Pepper was looking at him with her head tilted. She was no doubt trying to piece whatever was happening to her boyfriend together, but the man gave her nothing. 

“Who’re you talking too?” Pepper’s voice was soft, wrapping around Tony’s tense shoulders.

“I’m in some alleyway, just outside of Queens-“

“Right, enough. I’m coming. You left your jurisdiction, Kid. I’ll call you back.” The billionaire ended the call when he got nothing but a grunt of acknowledgment from the kid. He then turned to Pepper, “I’ve got some business to take care of. I’ll be back soon. Got a kid to tend too.”

“You really need to stop taking care of misfits, I know losing Peter was hard on you, but you can’t save every wayward child you cross paths with...”

Tony hummed out, letting her know she was heard, but not saying anything on the matter. But it was Peter he was rescuing. He did have a tendency to look out for kids though. Peter and Harley being the two main ones. He could see where she was coming from, but it wasn’t the time. 

“I’ll be back soon,” he repeated instead, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips as he rushed out of the bathroom, “get some sleep- don’t wait up.”

——

It took just under seven minutes for Tony to reach Peter with the Iron Man armour. It would have taken twenty-five minutes by car, and he was so glad he’d been nervous and taken the armour instead. 

He was also glad they were at the tower instead of the Compound. That would’ve been at least twenty minutes from the Compound to the dump of an alley they boy had been impaled in, even by the Iron Man suit.

Peter wasn’t looking too good. 

Tony let out a quiet, relieved breath when he landed beside the boy, with a heavy cluck, and Peter’s eyes opened to a heavily lidded blurry gaze. He was aware still, which was great.

Tony’s eyes immediately found the gaping wound on the boy’s side, just left if his diaphragm. Peter was at least trying to put pressure on it, hands weak and merely placed over the wound at this point. 

“Jesus, Kid, what the hell?” Tony gasped, stepping from his suit to fall into an almost immediate kneel beside the kid. He bushed Peter’s hands away from the wound, biting back a curse as the sight of it. 

Tony’s hands settles on the wound, applying pressure to help the clotting. Peter groaned quietly, blinking his eyes at the man, more aware and slightly wider.

“Oh, hey, M’isser Staark,” Peter smiled carefully, wincing as the man pressed harder. “It’s not as, as b-bad as it looks, I promise...”

“You have a literal hole on the side of your body, I could probably see organs if I looked hard enough,” although a joke, the man fought hard to swallow, attempting to settle his churning stomach. 

Peter, however, found humour in it, laughing loudly before wincing sharply and settling his hands on top of Tony’s. 

“We’ve gotta get you to the hospital-“

“No, we can-“ the boy winced with a pain expression, “we can’t...the, the spider DNA, I... they’ll take me away... c-can’t Mi’sser Stark. Please...”

“Okay, shh, calm down, it’s alright. I’ve got you...” Tony’s mind was moving far too fast to keep up, “kiddo, do you think you can hold on and stay conscious long enough for me to fly you to the tower?” Tony questioned hurriedly, lifting a bloodied hand to tap at Peter’s cheek.

“Yes,” Peter replied, voice quiet, but he made an effort to fully open his eyes. 

The man stepped back into his suit, then kneeled to slip his arm around Peter’s waist. Peter dropped his arm over the shoulders of the suit, his arm falling like a dead weight against Tony’s chest, just beside the Arc Reactor. 

“You’ll be okay,” Tony promised, launching up as soon as he was sure his grip on Peter was good.

He didn’t know what he expected, a pained whimper, a groan, maybe- but it definitely wasn’t a snort followed by the small boy speaking so softly he wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t listening for the boy, “this isn’t the worst I’ve seen.”

And just like that it was like Tony had been shot in the chest, his heart wrenching at the sad laugh from the boy.

“‘M getting sleepy, Mi’sser Stark,” Peter sighed tired when they were roughly three minutes from the Tower. 

“Gotta stay awake, Pete. You can do it. Stay awake.” Tony spoke with an unforgiving voice. “Almost there, and then you can see Bruce or, Cho, or anyone with medical training, then you can sleep. For however long you want. Stay awake, Pete.”

“Can’t sleep long, school tomorrow...” Peter mumbled against the armour. It was Tony’s turn to snort, but a small smile followed.

By some miracle, Tony managed to get them both to the Tower in record time. Peter was not any help now, hanging like a dead weight. 

The bleeding had stopped though, which meant his healing was kicking in, and he could almost rest assured, or, he could once the kid was hooked to an IV, checked by a professional and sleeping soundly in a bed.

But this was a good start.

The doctor in the Medbay was not one Tony knew, and the man couldn’t help but feel anxious with the aspect of leaving his kid with the stranger.

Luckily, owning the tower had its perks, and they didn’t make him leave. 

“He’s okay, his healing is... really fast. The laceration has closed, and it’s already starting to heal. He’s got an IV administering main medication and fluids.” The doctor explained, reading off the clipboard in her hand, “I’m a little concern about the dehydration and malnutrition though.”

Tony knew his mouth had formed into an ‘o’ shape, because that was shocking. He apparently needed to have a conversation with his kid. Peter should know better. 

“I’ll talk to him,” Tony promised. “And feed him when he wakes up. Thank you for you help.”

The doctor looked like she wanted to deny the dismissal, but she shut her mouth and turned with a bow of her head.

The kid was fine, starving himself apparently, but fine. 

“What’s this, Tony?”

Tony swivelled in his seat to see Pepper stood in the doorway, arms crossed across her chest and a displeased look on her face.

_God damnit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a side note, updates may be slower then I thought they would! I never took into account hotel WiFi, as this is the first in three days that has decent WiFi. :C
> 
> I'll keep writing though, and update at places where the WiFi lets me post, and if I don't get good WiFi, I'll do a continuous day updates when I get to the new house and have regular WiFi!
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope ya'll enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, decent WiFi! Also, only four more days of driving, and then we're done!
> 
> Working on more, that will hopefully be up soon! Fluff and bonding coming up!
> 
> (Might be a bit before the next update, since my life's a mess atm, but I'll try to sort everything out quickly (I've been writing chapters of this fic on whatever writing platform I could use, Microsoft Word online, Sticky Notes, iPad notes folder and now I need to get everything in one place))

_"What's this, Tony?"_

_God damnit._

\----

"It's not what it looks like," Tony said first, standing from where he was seated beside the boy's bed and sidestepping away from the bedside casually. He didn't know what it looked like, but his first thoughts were to defend himself. He glanced towards the bed, then back at the woman stood sternly in the doorway.

"Really?" Pepper tilted her head in that scary demanding way, "because it looks like you brought a child here-"

"He was stabbed, Pep, what was I supposed to do?" Tony asked, then continued without waiting for an answer, "leave him to die? Yeah, no way."

"You could've taken him to an actual hospital, Tony-" Pepper stepped into the room, eyeing the boy in the bed disinterestedly before narrowing her gaze on her boyfriend, "this boy has a family out there, probably looking for him. You can't kidnap children and take them to your med-bay without parental consent..."

Peter stirred in the bed, and Tony instantly raised his finger to his lips, silently shushing his girlfriend. Her look was definitely not one of amusement, and Tony knew he'd be in the dog house for a while for doing it. But Peter hadn't been sleeping, and anything the boy could get now- while drugged and sleeping soundly- was much needed. 

The man made it to Pepper in three strides, taking her hand carefully and leading her from the room. 

"You better have a really good reason for this," Pepper huffed, pulled her hand from his grip when the hospital door closed with a near silent click behind them, "I swear, Tony, the boy getting stabbed doesn't warrant bringing him to the tower for medical assistance when all the _hospitals_ are closer then the tower."

The billionaire opened and closed his mouth a couple times, building and then taring down logical lies in his mind, but nothing would fool Pepper Potts.

"Okay," the man said quietly, time to spill the beans to the cleverest woman he'd ever known, "okay, I'll tell you everything, but... let's move to the cafeteria. I... I don't want to wake him. He's going through some stuff."

That appeared to be enough for the woman, her rigid stance softened and she eyed the man with a calculating look. Tony stepped forwards first, ready to lead the woman to the cafeteria where they could talk without the off chance that Peter's super hearing could pick it up and wake himself up for it. 

The tone Tony was using, she hadn't heard since... since he'd had Peter. It was his protective, 'make you understand' sort of voice. Pepper couldn't help but feel even more curious as the man led her. He was being soft, and cautious- quirks the billionaire almost never used unless dealing with something he _really_ cared about. 

Together the two settled at a small table close to the hallway they'd just emerged from. Both nursed a cafeteria to-go cup of coffee, as it was very, very early in the morning, and Tony hadn't slept at all. 

"So?" Pepper prompted, watching the man she loved with a raised eyebrow. She'd seen him like this, of course she had, but never over some stray he'd found. 

"Right, so, uhm..." the billionaire's mind was scattered, and it was honestly a first for his sober brain. "What did you want to know- What was your question again?"

Pepper snorted, rolling her eyes at the man, "I have quite a few actually." The patient look on the usually impatient man made her continue quickly. It was a serious conversation, apparently. "What happened to the boy?"

"Stabbed, he was rambling about a machete or something. Tried stopping a mugging, I think. Got a little ahead of himself..." Tony told her truthfully, everything he knew from the reports from Karen, as well as the small conversation he'd had while the boy was still coherent. 

Pepper nodded sharply, a sadness filling her with the knowledge the boy had gotten hurt trying to help someone else. She leaned forwards, her elbows on the table, and her coffee snug between her palms, "just who is that boy, Tony?"

"That... uh, you remember that new intern I was telling you about?"

"No...?" Pepper tilted her head, then it clicked, "you mean that new pay cheque that's being sent out to someone without any SI applications being accepted, _and_ our hiring freeze?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Keep it going, by the way. Anyways, he's my new intern- or, well assistant I guess?" Tony waved his hand in a dismissive way, "we're working on it."

"Since when do you work with assistants?" That was honestly the most shocking part about this all so far. Tony was a man who like things done one way, and one way only. He didn't like people in his labs, he didn't like people touching his things, and the labs were the only places in the entirety of all his estates that he protected at all costs. 

"He's brilliant, Pep. He's a genius, been up to my standards since I met him a few weeks ago-"

"Wait, is this that alert Friday sent me while I was in Paris for that SI meeting? About someone entering the penthouse at the Compound? I assumed it was Rhodey, or an Avenger or something- not some teenager having a sleepover," Pepper glared. "This can get you in serious trouble, Tony. What if the tabloids catch wind of this? You sneaking some kid into your penthouse?"

"What are you insinuating?" Tony stared with a face of an emotion she'd never seen before. 

"I know this is nothing but you being a softy, but they don't Tony-"

"Stop, stop. It's nothing like that. He's actually just an employee. I saw him work at his school, and I hired him on the spot. Not more, nothing less." The billionaire snarled. The thought made his physically ill, that people would instantly assume he was doing something indecent to a teenager. To his Peter, _utterly disgusting_. Then, his face dropped. 

He blew out a slow breath, knowing he'd already gotten ahead of himself with his lying. She needed the truth. Besides, she wouldn't believe that for a second. "Okay, that's not true. I'm sorry, got a little defensive..." the man paused, piecing the best way to explain this to her in his head, "h-he's not just an employee."

Pepper raised an eyebrow, leaning forward as she waited for the man to continue. 

"That's... uh, the boy down the hall... it's Peter."

"Peter?" Pepper stared for a second, then another, "Peter... who?"

"Parker. That's Peter Parker," Tony gulped, "he's uh, he grew up, Pep. He knows- doesn't remember, but he knows. About the fostering, and his month with me... He knows, Pep." 

Tony's fingers tapped aimlessly around his paper cup, watching Pepper cautiously. 

"Peter?" She questioned again, a look of shock filling her features, "is it really him?"

Pepper sounded as wrecked as Tony felt. They'd had the same immediate reaction to the boy returning to them. He knew the woman had grown just as fond of the small boy when Tony had been his guardian. She'd cared for him just as much, and it made Tony's heart swell. 

"It's him, Pep. Happy agrees, he never forgets a face, remember?"

"Someone _stabbed_ him?" the snarl in her voice was unexpected, the same snarl she'd used when fighting Killian. The man scooted his chair back, standing quickly and carefully cradling her cheek from across the table. 

"Shh, it's fine. He's okay. He's alright. Practically healed already-"

"What do you mean? You got that call like three hours ago!"

_Awh shit._

Tony pulled away, dropping back into his seat heavily, he'd been planning on leaving the Spider-Man part out, but it looks like he'd be sharing with the class now.

"Peter, he uh- y'know, I don't actually know what happened, hasn't come up in conversation yet-"

"Spit it out, Tony!"

"He's part spider, Pep," Tony's voice dropped to a whisper, not wanting anyone who might be listening to know what he'd said. "Genetically mutated with a spider, but I don't know any details."

It shocked the woman into silence, her eyes stared at nothing and her body froze to zero movement. Tony tilted his head, watching her calmly. It was couple minutes before Tony looked away from her, not wanting to just stare like a creep while she processed the information. He watched the cafeteria worker sort some things out in the early hours of the morning while there was no other business but himself and Pepper.

"So, he's, he's that spider... _boy_ running around in Queens?" Pepper's voice was just as low, and Tony turned to her confused. She looked terrified, and it broke his heart. He felt the same way, knowing that his little Peter was out there risking his life- getting _stabbed_ all for the greater good. "It's him, isn't it, Tony?"

"Afraid so, sweetheart," the man bowed his head. Pepper deflated into her chair, a distraught look on her face. 

"He heals fast though?" Tony attempted to mend the woman's distress. It clearly didn't work, as the woman looked up at him with teary eyes. 

"What happened to him?"

"A lot," Tony sighed. "That kid's been through a lot, Pep."

The man paused, snapping his mouth shut, as something passed by in the corner of his eye. When he looked up, he noticed none other then Peter Parker, awake and _walking_ towards the door.

"Hey, hold on just a minute!" Tony stood quickly, making a beeline for the boy. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm healed now- I wasn't kidding, Mister Stark, I really have school in a couple hours." The boy was unnaturally pale looking, and there was still that wince with every step, and the man simply _wouldn't_ let the kid leave the tower when he was like this. 

"I think not." Tony growled, grabbing the boy's shoulder and leading to the table he and Pepper had been sitting at. Peter eyed the woman, giving her a small smile. 

"Miss Potts, it's great to meet you, or... uh, see you again, I suppose?" Peter didn't sit, instead stood, shifting from foot to foot, and doing a terrible job of biting back winces. 

"I really should go-"

"Nope. No. Not happening, Kiddo. You're going to march over to the cafeteria counter and pick _six_ foods to eat. I'm not kidding-"

"Mister Stark," Peter coughed, hiding a small smile as he held up his hands, still darkened with dried blood, "can I go wash my hands first?"

"If you must," the man sighed, over exaggerated. It was worth it, when it dragged a tired laugh from the teen. The billionaire watched the boy walk away, turning to look at Pepper when she made a small noise.

"He's... he's fully healed?"

"No, not yet." Tony shook his head, grabbing a second chair from one of the tables near them and sliding it in in between his own and Pepper's before seating himself in front of his coffee again, "pretty close, but he's still sore." 

The woman nodded, clearly still amazed. They settled into a silence as they waited for Peter to return from the restroom. 

"Is he like Steve?" Pepper questioned after a bit. Tony thought it over, charting the similarities before nodding silently. It was the closest thing he had to go off. The healing alone, and clearly the enhance metabolisms. Different means of administering the serum, or DNA in Pete's case, but very similar outcomes. 

Peter re-entering the room drew in boy their attention, and both adults watched the boy move towards them, before he paused and changed directions.

The man watched with a small smile as the kid did as told when he returned, walking slowly to the counter and picking seven dishes, filling his tray completely. 

Peter definitely noticed the weird silence between the two adults when he sat in the chair Tony had pulled up. He lifted a breakfast wrap off the tray, unwrapping it an taking a bite as he looked back and forth between the two. 

"Am... am I missing something?" Peter asked slowly, when no one said anything. He'd finished off the wrap. The two were sharing looks, a conversation happening between them through their eyes, and he hadn't the slightest idea about what.

"Kid... uh, Pepper... she uh, she knows."

"She-" it clicked a second later, and Peter's mouth fell open. _Oh_. She _knew_... 

"She's the boss around here, Kiddie, she knows everything." Tony mumbled,leaning over to mock whisper it to the youngest, which earned himself a playful smack to his forearm from the woman. 

"He's joking. I have no control over him," Pepper rolled her eyes, giving the boy a bright smile. For some reason, Peter believed Pepper, and sent Mister Stark a sideways glance. "It's a good thing to know though, if you don't mind me asking, who else knows?"

"Hap and I," Tony informed, flicking his attention to Peter when the boy cleared his throat, then to his CEO.

"And Ned," Peter interjected. It was almost comical how quickly Tony's head snapped in his direction, floundering for a second. Peter wasn't planning on keeping anything from Mister Stark, not when the man had been so nice as to give him his own suit, and lab time and, just, y'know, spend time with him. 

"Whose Ned? Tony questioned. Peter shifted in his seat at having both adult's full attentions. He wasn't used to having anyone look at him when he was Peter Parker.

"He's my best friend, he uh... found out by accident." Peter's face was flushed, and he dragged an embarrassed hand along the back of his neck. And, it was true. He'd assumed his best friend would still be asleep as he slipped into Ned's bedroom window one late night on a weekend. 

Ned, of course, was awake, and mad Peter had ditched the sleepover after he'd fallen asleep. It was short lived as Peter practically fell from the ceiling at noticing his best friend staring at him wide-eyed. It was actually a weight off his chest that someone knew, and Ned had been all for it, wanting to be Peter's 'guy in the chair' (whom he didn't need as much now that he had Karen and Mister Stark's multi-million-dollar suit in his corner. 

"Is that the kid who cracked my codes? That friend of yours?" Tony's face was blank as he eyed the teen.

Peter remained silent for a second, Tony was a powerful man, and he didn't need Ned getting in trouble for anything. Ned was the only person he really had in the world. "Y'know, Mister Stark, I'm real tired... I-I think I'm gonna-"

"Head back to the room you came from?" the man suggested, his voice gone all parental.

"Yeah! I, uh, yeah." Peter agreed, eager to leave the situation, "I'll do that, so tired, uh, bye Miss Potts, and Mister Stark.." Peter stood quickly, taking a couple steps, only to be called back. 

"Take the food, Kid." Tony tilted his head to the tray, "and don't think we aren't talking about this later, because we will be. I have an ass-load of questions for you."

"Yes, Mister Stark," Peter turned back with a shy look, bowing his head. The boy stepped back to the table to collect his tray before quickly disappearing down the hallway he'd surfaced from.

"You better be asleep when I come in to check on you," Tony called just as the boy turned the corner. 

When he turned back to the woman sat across from him, his willed away the pink hues to his cheeks. She was staring at him with a fond expression, the same look she used to give him when he'd cuddle up with the small boy he fostered. 

Peter had returned, and the man was already falling back into the father-like role he'd picked up in that short time span. Peter just brought it out of him. 

"How is he... still the same?" Pepper asked softly, turning to look at the hallway the boy had left down.

"No idea, Dear," Tony snorted a quiet laugh. Peter was still the same little nerd he'd known back when the boy was young. Same mannerisms, way of speaking, and generally polite- especially for a kid from the foster system. 

He'd take care of this kid the right way this time. 

Whether the kid wanted him too or not, he was already in too deep with this kid.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a look into Peter's life without Tony, as well as the boy figuring out some of his past like the genius he is.
> 
> I was going to make another chapter before this one, but I didn't have the time, and I wanted to update before I can't.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

Peter Parker liked to think he was just like the rest of his class- a run of the mill kid. 

He knew he wasn’t. 

From the early age of seven, he’d been on his own. No one to call his own, bounced from foster to foster. 

He was clever, knew things and learned quickly- which left him miles ahead of other children his age. 

But it was fine. 

_‘Knowledge is everything, son,’_ his father used to mutter, a smile wide on his face as five-year-old Peter crayoned his name in squiggly block letters on a page. He could already do the multiplication table and read at a grade three level, following easily in his scientist parent’s footsteps. 

And it was. 

It didn’t matter that being _clever_ attracted bullies to Peter. They were threatened by his intelligence. He knew that, so when he’d surface in a group home’s dining room at the end of the day with a bruise sported on his cheek, no one said a thing. 

But it was fine. 

The young boy knew where he stood. He knew what happened. What had happened to his parents. What happened to uncle Ben- to aunt May... And he knew about his car accident. 

Right after his birthday, since Parker’s had terrible luck. The social workers were vague, not saying where he was going, where he was coming form, who he’d been in the car with- he didn’t get a single thing out of them. 

They avoided answering him. No one spoke of it; it was as if the whole thing never happened. Brushed off like his brain hadn’t been swelling in his head- after all, who’d miss the foster kid? 

But after that he was suddenly allowed into public school, after years of homeschooling, which had never been allowed. _‘It’s expensive, Peter, how will we get you there?’_ were things he’d been told, and now, he was suddenly allowed? 

It was great being able to just be one of the kids at the school. No one knew his origins. No one knew that he’d be switching guardians every couple months, or that the father he was staying with currently would shove him around a bit. 

And through that, he met Ned Leeds. 

It was his fifth day at public school, and he’d already taken to being the quiet new kid. He didn’t mind, not really. 

He’d been walking out, leaving the school to do the hour bus commute back to the small apartment he was calling home for the next little while. 

He’d seen the kid in his classes- Ned Leeds. The boy was bigger, especially compared to Peter’s scrawny frame. He’d always been too small, his aunt used to say it was because he was born too early. 

Despite Ned being bigger than the kids picking on him, it didn’t stop the boy was cowering away. 

They were spouting rude words at him, calling him names and backing him up into the corner as if he were some terrified little puppy. 

Peter just couldn’t let that be. He stepped up to the trio of boys cornering the guys and made his presence known. 

“Hey, leave him alone!” 

“Well, if it isn’t new kid. What you want, Parker?” 

“Leave him alone.” Peter repeated; eyes narrow as the three friends glanced at each other before laughing. 

“Or what?” 

He didn’t have an answer. The ring leader smirked taking a step towards Peter. 

Peter left that fight with a black eye and a split lip. Not the worst he’d had, but definitely will get him in trouble at the foster home. He pulled himself off the ground, grunting as he looked at Ned. The boy was frozen, backed into the corner and sitting silently, watching Peter pull himself up. 

“Are you okay?” Peter questioned, wincing as he stepped towards the guy and holding his hand out to help him to his feet. 

“Am I okay?” Ned questioned, eyebrow raised as he took to offered hand and pulled himself to his feet, “you’re the one who took the hits, are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Peter dismissed. His head was starting to hurt, but it was nothing compared to his stay in the hospital after the car accident. 

“That was so cool! No one’s ever stood up for me,” Ned grinned, offering Peter his hand, “I’m Ned. Ned Leeds.” 

Peter stared at the hand, eyeing it before glancing to Ned’s face again, “Peter,” he grasped the boy’s hand, “Peter Parker.” 

\---- 

They’d been practically inseparable from that day on. Ned and his family becoming more of a family then Peter had seen in ages. Ned’s mother was lovely and cared for Peter, taking him in with open arms whenever he managed to escape to their house. 

They even upgraded Ned’s bed to a bunkbed set so Peter would have his own bed for when he stayed over. 

It was Friday after school, October something. The two twelve-year-old's sat in Ned’s room, just as they usually did Friday after school. 

“There’s just something they aren’t telling me,” Peter explained to the room. He was laying on back on the top bunk of Ned’s bunkbeds, head hanging over the edge to look at his best friend who was sprawled on the floor with a Lego set in front of him. 

“Like what though?” Ned glanced up, clicking two black pieces of Lego together. 

“I dunno, man. But I lost three months of my life. There’s gotta be something important that happened in that span- I mean, my file is locked. I asked Amanda to open it for me, I wanted to know, y’know, and she refused.” 

“Maybe she just didn’t want you to see something?” 

“That’s what I mean!” Peter rolled onto his stomach, crossing his arms in front of him and settling his chin on his forearm, “what could be such a huge secret that they lock- not just lock, it’s been coded shut, Ned.” 

There was a silence in the room, Peter’s eyes glancing around the room, taking everything in despite it being their hang out for the past three years. 

“I could take a look at it?” Ned offered quietly. Peter snapped his attention to his best friend, lips parting in a wide smile. 

“Really? You’d do that, Ned?” Ned was a computer whiz. Peter liked to think he was good with a computer, knew his way around one, and could manage some simple hacking, but Ned was a near god when it came to this kind of stuff. 

“I mean... it’s not illegal, right?” 

Peter remained silent. It kinda was. 

“I’ll do it... You’ve gotta know. It’s your life... and... they won’t arrest a twelve-year-old, right?” 

“Totally not,” Peter nodded, despite the hint of insincerity flaring in his chest. He needed to know. He’d been thinking of this since he was nine years old. 

The two sat at the old desktop Ned’s parents had given him. It was surprisingly fast considering it was a couple years old, and had multiple games downloaded onto the drive. 

Ned moved quickly, navigating through Peter’s foster files with the boy who’d seen pretty much every employee at social services search him up in their records. 

It wasn’t long until they reached the block. 

“I’ve never seen coding like this,” Ned tilted his head, attempting to understand it. 

“I know right?” Peter sighed, “I stared for days, and couldn’t get past it.” 

“Yeah, I can see that. They really must be trying to hide something...” Ned stared at the screen with a frown before glancing at his friend and supplying a small hopeful smile, “let’s get to it.” 

\---- 

Ned worked on the code for four days, and finally, on the fifth day Peter’s best friend bounded into their English class with a giant shit eating grin. 

“I did it!” 

“Did?” Peter tilted his head, taking a bite of the apple he’d snagged from the breakfast program the school offered. 

“Project ‘x’!” His friend supplied, dropping himself into the chair beside Peter. 

The younger boy looked at his friend in question, munching his bite of apple before the words processed and his mouth dropped open, “wait, Ned! Are you serious?!” 

“Yes! Cracked it this morning. You can come over after school and we can look through it together- or you can alone, I don’t know. I haven’t read anything yet- it's your business.” 

“Oh my God! Ned, you’re a genius!” Peter threw his arms around his best friend’s shoulders, squeezing his friend. “Of course, you can look with me, you’re my family.” 

\---- 

Peter’s hands were clammy and his throat dry as Ned peeked out his bedroom door before shutting it as quietly as possible. Peter was sitting in Ned’s computer chair, the older boy insisting he use it, while Ned seated himself on a wooden chair, they’d stolen from the dining table. 

The computer screen was blank from inactivity throughout the day. 

“It should still be open, unless I got kicked out. Just wiggle the mouse,” Ned prompted, as excited (if not more) then Peter felt. 

Peter’s hand settled over the black mouse, hand shaking lightly. As soon as he made contacted with the small piece of plastic, the screen blossomed into colours. 

Peter’s file was indeed still open, and the file that had remained locked for as long as he could remember sitting waiting, nothing stopping him from opening it and reading just what the hell had happened. 

He clicked the file without over thinking it. 

It took a second to load, and the friends shared an anxious expression. 

What came up was a whole lot of words. Peter scanned through the screen, Ned’s eyes also reading along. 

The boy let out a sad breath. There wasn’t anything cool, or exciting- it was just all the stupid foster paperwork. He’d already known he was foster by someone, but by _who_? 

Peter pushed himself away from the desk dejectedly. Ned scooted over to grab the mouse, continuing to scroll. Peter collapsed onto the bottom bunk, burying his face in Ned’s pillow. 

“Woah,” Peter’s head shot up as his friends awestruck tone. 

“What?” Peter sat up, sliding up behind Ned, leaning over his shoulder as his eyes travelled across the page. “W...what?” 

Peter stared at the name, then the picture, then back to the name. 

“That... that’s-” 

“Dudeee! You were fostered by Tony Stark! You lived with Iron Man! No way!” Peter could do nothing more than slap a hand over his best friend’s mouth. 

“Shh, Ned!” He whisper-shouted at the older boy, “it was locked for a reason, keep your voice down!” 

The last thing they needed was Ned’s little brother coming in, or worse, his mom. 

“If I take my hand away will you keep your voice down?” Peter questioned, Ned nodded against Peter’s hand, licking a strip up before Peter had the chance to pull away. “Gross dude,” Peter laughed, wiping his hand on Ned’s shirt. 

“You left me no choice!” Ned giggled, “that’s so cool, Peter. Like, wow. You met Iron Man.” 

“I don’t remember it though,” Peter chewed his bottom lip. “Why would the hide this- wait, does that mean I’m Peter?” 

“Haven’t you always been Peter?” Ned asked in confusion. 

“No, no,” Peter shook his head, sitting in the computer chair again and hurriedly typing some things into the search engine, “Little Peter, ‘member, the one Mister Stark was fostering, for like a month or something? And then the kid’s family was found and he was returned to his parent?” 

Articles upon articles filed onto the screen, and Peter clicked the first one. A Photo of Mister Stark carrying a kid, shieling the boy’s face from the crowd by holding the boy’s head to his shoulder in a comforting gesture. 

“No...” Ned tilted his head, studying what could be seen of the kid’s face, “that’s totally you, Peter!” 

Denial sat on Peter’s tongue, ready to tell Ned he was wrong, but... he wasn’t. That really was Peter. He could make his own face out, his cubby little cheeks, and teary brown eyes. Come on, his mop of chocolatey curls, was more than enough to identify himself. 

He’d lived with Tony Stark. Peter lived with Iron Man. His literal hero, he’d stayed at his house. 

This, as amazing as it was, raised more questions and answered very few of the ones he already had. 

_Tony Stark fostered him, but gave him away?_

_Hadn’t he been enough for the man?_

_Did... did he get in the car accident with Mister Stark?_

_Why hadn’t Mister Stark kept him?_

_Why had they lied about him finding his family?_

_Why, oh why was his file so guarded?_

And so many more. He had so many unanswered questions. 

It did explain some things though. His collection of Lego collectibles and pricy toys, as well as the closet full of clothes he’d suddenly had after the car accident. 

“You can’t tell anyone,” Peter whispered, eyes trailing up and down his friend, attempting to determine where his friend stood on everything. 

“I won’t, I promise,” Ned nodded his head solemnly, giving his friend a gentle smile. 

\---- 

Oddly enough, Peter’s life only got even more messed up after that weird field trip to Oscorp the following school year. 

A radioactive spider. Who’d’ve guessed. 

Peter was given super powers from a mutated spider on a school field trip. 

Dead parents. Dead aunt and uncle. Fostered and then returned by a billionaire superhero. Bitten by a radioactive spider on a school field trip. 

… 

And now, he was staring at the man who he doesn’t remember living with, but knows he lived with, who gave him back to foster care after what he can only imagine to be the best month of his life. 

Iron Man knows him. Pepper Potts knows him. 

And they... they parent him- or, well their trying too. 

What is his life? 

The only thing Peter can think is: 

_Parker luck at its finest_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha.  
> I'm dead guys.  
> Losing WiFi for four days. Moving into the new house tomorrow and we don't get WiFi or cable till Tuesday, I think.  
> (I have 30 movies downloaded to my iPad, so hopefully that'll keep me entertained.)
> 
> I'll keep writing, but I won't be on any media for a bit :C


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is kinda a filler. (I wrote myself into a writer's block last chapter, so GJ me!) Wasn't sure how to dig myself out, so this is what I came up with after staring at the open blank document for days. 
> 
> Next chapter will have more plot! I promise!
> 
> Wanted to write some Pete and Ned friendship because I love them and their dynamic! (And Tom & Jacob, they're so cute together tbh)
> 
> Anyways, enough from me, I'm not who you're here for!  
> Please enjoy~

It had been a month since Tony was reunited with Peter. Another month with the kid. 

There was nagging thought in the back of his head that someone would come steal the kid away, just like when he was fostering the boy, but nothing happened. Peter was safe. Peter frequented the lab very often. Peter worked in the lab with him. 

Peter wasn’t going anywhere. 

He knew it was him ultimately who sent the boy away. But it had been in Peter’s best interest. He’d _thought_ it was the right thing. 

He wasn’t so sure about it now. But he couldn’t change the past, as much as he wanted too. Go back six years and take nine-year-old Peter into his arms, press a kiss to his head and hold on to him forever. 

But he couldn’t. 

Life didn’t work that way. 

He _screwed the pooch_ with the kid, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

But he was really trying now. There was no way he was going to lose this kid a _second_ time. 

And that meant not telling the kid what he’d forgotten. About how close they were. About how he almost signed those papers, making Peter legally his child. About how Peter almost died in the lab because he’d managed to outsmart a million-dollar artificial intelligence at the age of nine. 

Tony wanted nothing more than to sit the kid down and tell him about everything, explain everything. Explain his reasonings to giving Peter up. Explain how much he’d missed the kid, how much Pepper and Happy missed him. How nothing felt complete without the witty child. 

Peter had long since healed from his mugging incident. Not a trace left of the laceration across his torso. 

He’d been perfectly fine the day after, and Pepper had almost had a heart attack as the teen skidded down the hallway decked in his Spider-Man suit, ready for patrol. 

“See ya Thursday, Mister Stark!” Peter had called over his shoulder as he slipped the mask on and literally jumped from the thirty-first-floor window. 

It had taken all his strength to calm a near hysteric Pepper down. But it was hard when his own heart was beating wildly out of his chest with sheer adrenaline from simply watching the kid swan dive out the window. 

He and Pepper alike had rushed to the window in time to see the teenager shoot a line of webbing onto the neighboring building and swing with ease. 

It was almost amazing how they’d both fallen right back into the caretaker roles even after the years being apart from the boy. Tony couldn’t help be amazed that Pepper still looked at the boy with the same adoration, and the glaze over her eyes as she repressed her actions of wrapping the boy in a hug. They weren't there yet. 

Neither of them were. 

They’d need Peter to come to them. 

“He just...” Pepper glanced out the window, spider-boy long since disappeared. 

“Yep,” Tony nodded, “right out the window. Somebody outta teach that boy some manners, we have a door for a reason.” 

And if he got a smack to the arm from the love of his life for his comment, it was well deserved and a good punishment if it meant seeing her smile like that. 

\---- 

Peter couldn't shake the feelings swelling in his chest. 

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. They looked at him like they knew him- which they did he supposed, but there was... there was something else in that look. 

They shouldn’t be looking at him like that if they’d given him up. If they’d taken him in for one month for publicity reasons and then kicked him to the curb when they had what they needed. 

Nothing added up. 

Those looks on their faces were the ones he’d seen other children’s parents beam at them when they picked them up from school, or cheered from the audience at a school concert, or supported them at a spelling bee. 

Looks of proud parents- or, in his case, a concerned parent. 

But, _why_? 

Why did he get those looks from them? 

They couldn’t possibly consider him to be... or look at him like he was their child. 

It didn’t make any sense. 

Peter heaved a sigh, crawling his way up Ned’s apartment building. It was late, and Peter knew his friend was probably concerned about where he’d been. He’d skipped school after all, not really by choice, but he’d still skipped. And his phone had died the night before (before getting stabbed) so he really couldn’t talk to Ned. 

He rapped his knuckled on the glass as quietly as he could, after peaking in to see his best friend playing a video game on his desktop. Ned spun quickly, a mixture of emotions on his face. The older teen hurried to the window, unlocking it and pushing it open as Peter crawled in. 

“Hey, man,” Peter huffed, flashing his friend a smile. 

“Peter!” Ned growled, glancing back at his door before lowering his voice, “where the hell have you been? I’ve been texting you all day!” 

“I’m sorry, Ned, really. I had a rough night, and y’know Karen, right? Suit lady? Well, she decided that she should call Mister Stark when my blood pressure dropped after I was stabbed—so, he flew in, right? And--” 

“Wait, wait, wait!” Ned waved his hands, palm pressing to the spider emblem on Peter’s chest. The suit expanded and dropped, pooling around the teen’s ankles as Ned turned to his dresser, searching for some of Peter’s clothes, “you were with Mister Stark? Like, Mister Stark who fostered you when you were little, that Mister Stark?” 

“Yeah, and Miss Potts too.” Peter grinned, stepping from the suit and picking it up. 

“Wait, you were _stabbed_?!” 

“Yeah, a bad guy had a machete, Ned. It was so cool! Well, I mean, not... not bleeding out, that part wasn’t cool. But I was all like ‘Hey, man, don’t pick on girls!’ and he was all like ‘Spider-Man! You’ve foiled my plans!’ and then he just stabbed me with a machete he had hidden in his pants. He ran away after that.” Peter frowned. He took the clothes in Ned’s out stretched hands, and Ned took the suit to hide it in his closet for the night. 

“So cool,” Ned mumbled in aww, “you’re good though now? I don’t see any scars or anything.” 

Peter rolled his eyes as he slipped on his shirt, shielding his body from Ned’s calculating eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m good. That’s why I wasn’t in school though, Mister Stark wouldn’t let me leave.” 

“Wait, what?” 

“Yeah, I know right!” Peter huffed, “he’s all like... protective and everything. It was so weird. Miss Potts too. They kept looking at me like... like how your mom looks at you!” 

“No way,” Ned settled on his bed, Peter falling into the space beside him after he’s managed to slip on his pajama pants. “So, like, Mister Stark came and saved you?” 

“He didn’t save me,” Peter scoffed, although a blush ran up to his ears, “he, uh, he helped me. I would’a had everything under control if Karen hadn’t of contacted him.” Peter’s arms crossed across his chest, “he flew me to the tower, it was pretty cool.” The teen failed to mention he was barely conscious for the ride, but Ned didn’t need to know that. 

“Your life is so cool, Man!” Ned flopped back against his pillows. Peter bit back the sarcastic remark about being an orphan, and practically getting disowned by yesterday’s savior. 

His life was pretty cool, despite the fosters and all that shit that came with being in the system. 

But he had Ned by his side, and he was Spider-Man. He could handle it. 

“So, no texts? I left you like twenty voicemails.” 

Peter huffed a laugh, standing and slipping his phone from his backpack. 

“Died yesterday night.” 

“And Tony Stark, the billionaire, didn’t have a charger?” 

“Dude, I wasn’t going to ask Tony Stark for a phone charger!” Peter laughed, climbing up to settle on his top bunk. “I’d look like an idiot. He probably doesn’t even charge phones, just buys a new one when it gets low on power.” 

Peter heard Ned snort below him, and counted it as a win. 

“I have to go tell my mom you’re here so she doesn’t lose her mind tomorrow morning when we both come stumbling out.” Ned groaned, pulling himself up, “here, give me your phone and I’ll plug it in on my way by.” 

“You’re the best,” Peter hummed into his pillow, face smooshed in the familiar scent. It wasn’t as nice as the ones at Mister Stark’s but it was better in some way. He chuckled to himself as Ned mocked Peter in a huffed tone. 

By the time Ned returned, Peter was practically asleep. His eyes fluttered open as his best friend opened the door, two glasses of water in his hands. 

“My mom says go to sleep. Then she reminded me that there’s school tomorrow. Y’know, you’re so lucky she has no idea you skipped today, you’re not even her blood child but she’d still ground your ass.” 

“I’m going to be in so much trouble when I got home tomorrow,” Peter sighed sadly. 

“Is he still giving you a rough time?” Ned questioned; voice concerned. 

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Peter grinned. 

He’d been moved to a new foster after the one he’d been with before decided that he just wasn’t working for her. ‘The dynamic was off’ she’d told Amanda. Peter had zero say in anything, so he’d been shipped off. 

The couple to take him in was an older man and a younger woman. He liked the woman, she was nice. She gave him lunch money and was happy he had the Stark internship. She talked to him, and gave him encouraging pats on the shoulder, or ruffled his hair when he did something right. 

The man however, wasn't too fond of Peter. He really only let Peter stay for the increased money they got to house a kid. It was obvious the wife had talked him into it. 

Peter didn’t like the man much either. He was an asshole, and would slap him around whenever the woman wasn’t looking. The man was a drunken bastard, and Peter knew the woman should be leaving him. 

He was happy his increased healing left him clean faced in the morning for school, or else he’d be questioned by teachers and everything would be a mess. 

Peter listened until he heard Ned’s even out breaths before he allowed himself to settle into sleep as well. 

\---- 

_“I like vanilla,” Peter called, face pressed against the glass casing of the small ice cream parlor just outside of queens. His breath fogged the glass and a gentle hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Peter turned, wrapping an arm around the legs of the man._

_“I know you do, Bud. Just like your cake.” The voice was masculine, an edge of teasing but still calm. A familiar voice._

_Peter looked up, eyes wide with fascination, but the man’s face was blurred. He had dark hair, but that’s all that could be seen from the man’s shoulders and up._

_“Two waffle cones. One, two scoop vanilla and the other one scoop of uh... is that Stark raving hazelnuts? Yeah, one scoop of that.”_

_It wasn’t too long until a cone was pressed into his waiting hands. He licked the ice cream, grinned up at the faceless adult. He couldn’t see it, but he was sure the man was grinning right back at him._

_“’ts yummy.” Peter mumbled, licking another strip up._

_“Sure is,” the man agreed. “I believe I promised someone a walk in the park?”_

_“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” And his hand lifted to grasp the man’s waiting one._

_The walk was slow, past a couple cars in the parking lot, and across a street. It was miles of green, protected by iron fencing and beautiful gates._

_Peter rambled on, nothing important. Ice cream melting and dripping down his hands and onto his shirt. The man listened, laughed and added appropriate comments._

_“I like it here,” Peter hummed, licking some melted ice cream from his fingers, then sinking his teeth into the edge of his cone. “’ts pretty.”_

_“Yeah, I like it here too, Buddy.” The man spoke and the larger hand gripping his own tightened for a second before loosening. Peter sidestepped closed, shoulder brushing against the man’s side._

_“Can we go see the ducks? I love ducks,” Peter mumbled, finishing off his cone and grinning up at the man with the melted treat coating his hands and cheeks._

_“We can,” he agreed, “but first we’ve gotta do something about that disaster on your face.”_

_“Okay,” Peter hummed._

_The man pulled a napkin from his pocket. A nice suit jacket. Out of place compared to Peter’s play clothes and sneakers._

_The man kneeled, taking Peter’s face into his hands and wiping the sticky ice cream away. Peter nuzzled the hands, stepping forward to set his head against the man’s chest._

_“Carry me?”_

_And he did. The man scooped Peter up, walking slowly towards the pond._

_“You’ll be too big for this soon, Petey,” the man laughed, thumb on the hand supporting Peter’s back dragging back and forth between the boy’s shoulder blades._

_“No,” Peter giggled, head falling to the man’s shoulder, “I’ll stay little forever, promise.”_

_The man chucked, pressing a kiss to the boy’s head._

_When they reached the pond, the man set Peter to his feet. They fed the ducks; Peter sticking his hand in the water and rippling the gentle waves. He turned back to grin at the man watching._

_“We should do this again, Daddy,” Peter hummed, returning to the man’s side and grabbing his hand again._

_They turned to start walking again as the man responded, “yeah... yeah, we should, Pete.”_

Peter startled awake, gasping for breath. He lifted his shaky hand, flattening it in the air before curling it into a fist, instantly missing the warmth of the other’s hand from his dream. 

It had been so real. So real. 

A dream. 

It was a dream. 

But it couldn’t be. That was... that was too real to be a dream. 

Where would his mind even come up with that? 

But it didn’t make sense. He was what? Seven or eight in the dream? His father died when he was five. He barely remembers his father, but his dad didn’t have dark hair like the man in the dream. 

So, who the hell was he calling _daddy_? Dream or memory, that raised a hellova lot of questions. 

“Peter?” Ned’s groggy voice filled his ears, grounding him instantly, “y’okay?” 

“Yeah,” Peter whispered, “I... I’m good, Ned. You go back to sleep.” 

Peter’s head fell back against the pillows, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be sleeping. His heart felt heavy. That was so nice, the dream was perfect. 

His head thrummed with an oncoming headache. There was just so much he _didn’t_ know, and it was frustrating because it was his life and everyone was keeping things from him.

He’d had someone to take him for ice cream. Sounded like the man loved him too- but what had happened? Someone he trusted enough to call Daddy, and to cuddle up against. 

Peter wiped a stray tear away before dry washing his face and squeezing his eyes shut. 

He’d find the answers he was seeking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait by the way. Settled in my new house and we have all our kitties home, so that motivated me!
> 
> I also wanted to just mention that I'm part of a Tumblr Zine. I'm working with a group of amazing artists, and some fantastic writers. I still don't 100% know what I'm doing (or what a zine is) but I'm sure it'll be amazing. I hope some of you are interested in checking it out. I'm pretty sure there'll be a diverse selection of fluff and angst- at least from what I've seen in check ins.
> 
> You guys should check it out on Tumblr @irondadzine and I'm @boww-tiez, if you wanna talk or anything (or give me some of your ideas of fluffy things ya'll wanna see!)
> 
> Anyways! Thank you for reading! I hope you guys liked it, and I'll be back with more ASAP!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apparently like tormenting Peter (like everyone else). Angsty little bean, and some Tony & Pepper & Peter because I love them all together. 
> 
> I'm sorry, but not sorry. There's like just about 4k words, but idk if it's good or not lol
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy :D

Peter was seriously debating whether or not he should be going to Mister Stark’s tower. 

It was Thursday morning, and the boy was working his way through school. There was a dull thrum in the back of his head, and he was pretty sure his wrist was broken, but he couldn’t be sure. 

The nice woman whom he’d been staying with for the past little while was away for a business trip, and she’d left him with her drunk of a husband. 

Peter tried his best to avoid the man, but he’d still managed to corner him that morning right before Peter was to leave for school. The man was apparently still pissed off that they’d gotten a call from the school saying Peter had skipped. The woman has simply rolled her eyes with a playful smile as she spoke about keeping the skipping to a minimum. It seemed the man was a little more upset. 

Peter could do nothing more than stand there and take it. With his super strength, he could’ve easily knocked the man to his ass, but Peter was a gangly kid and there was no way he’d be able to the lay the man down if he were a regular kid. 

So, he needed to be careful with how much he showed. The man was a drunk, but he wasn’t stupid. There wasn’t a doubt in Peter's mind that the man would be able to piece things together if Peter started letting pieces of Spider-Man show. 

The man hadn’t done more than shove him. Peter had stumbled, he wasn’t expecting it, so he fell backwards. His head smashed into a shelf they had against the wall, and Peter, trying to catch himself, fell onto his wrist. He couldn’t be sure if the crack he’d heard was the shelf, or his wrist, so he just went on with his day. 

The pain was getting worse though, so Peter assumed it had been overshadowed by adrenaline that morning. 

He clutched his hand to his chest, blowing out a quiet breath. 

It wasn’t even lunch let, but Peter could barely focus. He pulled his phone from his pocket, sending Ned a one-handed text as the bell to move to third period sounded. 

He couldn’t stay. Not when his healing was being faulty and his wrist shot pain up his arm with each jostle. 

It was surprisingly easy to sneak out of Midtown. The teachers were busy, and not many kids tried to skip out between second and third period. This wasn't exactly ideal time to be skipping, as the most popular times were usually after first or after lunch, so no one was standing guard. 

The fresh air bit at Peter’s face, and he let out a quiet breath. 

His back pack was slung over his shoulder and his steps quick as he ducked around a corner. Skipping school still gave Peter anxiety, and getting caught would probably throw him into a panic attack. 

There were places Peter could go. He could go to Delmar’s. The man would take care of him. He could chance going home, the man would be at work by now, so Peter could relax in his room. He could always go to Amanda at Social Services, but that was only for desperate times. 

Above all else, Peter wanted to find Mister Stark. He didn’t know why, couldn’t understand why he wanted the man, but he did. 

He wanted Mister Stark. 

Peter chewed his bottom lip in thought. 

He’d be lying if he said the thought of just swinging to SI with his aching wrist hadn’t crossed his mind. But then he thought of the pain accompanied with that idea, as well as how Mister Stark would rip him to shreds if he found out... so Peter hailed a cab. 

Peter turned a blind eye to the obvious look of shock on the cabbie’s face as he requested to be taken to Stark Industries. The man complied though, and Peter slumped back in the back of the cab. 

The drive was lengthy, and Peter knew it would cost a decent sum of his money for the week, but he wasn’t _really_ thinking about that. Only the comfort that Mister Stark would supply- or, he thinks the man will supply. 

He hadn’t actually gone to Mister Stark for comfort. Not before at least. Karen had done that for him. He didn’t know why Mister Stark was this ultra-comfort buried deep in the back of his mind, but he was. Peter couldn’t shake the feeling that Mister Stark would take care of him, even if the man had given him back to foster care all those years ago. 

Plus, there was the fact that Mister Stark had come to save him the early hours of the morning, despite Peter insisting he was fine. 

Maybe that was why Peter felt comfortable going to him? Knowing the man would take care of him, and show him just a little bit of love. You really have to take what you can get when you’re a foster kid. 

“We’re here, Kid.” the cabbie called. Peter reeled back, startled by the man’s voice. He’d been so lost in his head he hadn’t even noticed. 

“Ah, yes, thank you.” Peter muttered, gathering his backpack into his hands only to gasp as his bad hand moved to grab the strap of his bag. “W-what do I owe you?” 

He fiddled with his zipped, flushing in embarrassment. When he pulled it open, he withdrew his wallet and waited for the man. 

“It’s on the house, Kiddo. Get your wrist checked, yeah?” 

“No, I can’t do that. Please, you drove me here. That’s not fair,” Peter blinked. 

The man processed it for a second, before his smile widened, “alright, Kid. Ten and a high five.” 

Peter went to decline, knowing that the trip costed way more than ten dollars, but the man shook his head, “ten’s my final offer kid. I’ll kick you out and drive away.” 

Peter cracked a smile, pulling a twenty anyways and giving the man the high five he requested with his good hand. 

“Thank you!” He called as he closed the door behind himself. He saw the cab driver grin before pulling away from the curb. 

Peter made his way inside the building, eyes wide in awe. 

He’d never been to Stark Industries. Or, well, he doesn’t think he has. Not since knowing the owner, anyways. Peter stood for a second, watching the people move around; secretaries taking calls, packages being delivered, security eyeing him. 

“Can I help you?” He turned quickly to the secretary addressing him. She was a little older than him; if he were to guess, early twenties. 

“Hi, uh, I’m here to see Mister Stark,” Peter mumbled. He shuffled his feet, uncomfortable with his surroundings. 

The lady eyed him with the same look the cab driver had, but she shook her head. She looked at him as if he were some kind of joke. 

“Do you have a scheduled appointment with Mister Stark?” 

“I, uh, no... I was just hoping you could call him? Maybe tell him Peter’s here. Parker. Peter Parker’s here.” Peter played with the sleeve shielding his wrist from the world. The ache was dulling as he grew anxious. He should’ve known Mister Stark would be hard to reach. He was a nobody. He’d been clinging to the thought that Tony would come collect him when he heard that Peter was there. 

The security badges Peter had were strictly for the Compound and the Avenger’s Tower. He had nothing to get him in at SI. He also didn’t know anyone, or know the building, so even if he had a way in, he’d still be completely lost. 

“Well, Mister Stark is currently out at a meeting.” The lady tilted her head. “Then he’ll be out to a lunch meeting. He’s set to be returning at two.” The woman snipped. She turned her attention back to the computer in front of her. 

“Is, uh, is Miss Potts in?” He questioned again. He needed someone, and if Mister Stark could trust Miss Potts, then surely, he could as well. She seemed nice enough when he’d met her, and she did know who he actually was. 

The woman looked up with an exasperated expression, eyeing Peter up and down once again before sighing. 

“She’s not. They’re in the meeting together.” She paused, letting out a breath, “you’re welcome to wait though. When the meeting’s over she’ll be calling me for her next appointment.” 

“Thank you,” Peter gave a small smile, eyeing his surroundings before making his way to a small room off to the side with plush chairs and a small coffee bar. 

Peter sat himself in the chair furthest from the doorway. He knew security was probably watching him, he knew he probably looked suspicious. He was dressed as an everyday teen, in his Midtown sweatshirt and jeans.Sure, he looked like a high school student, but how many high school students visited SI? His backpack probably isn’t helping how suspicious he looks though. God, what if they searched his bag? The Spider-Man suit was in there. 

He clutched the bag to his chest, tense and unsure as he sat. 

\---- 

“That was brutal,” Tony huffed as he and Pepper slipped into the car waiting, “God, I hate meetings. Y’know I named you CEO for a reason, right, my love?” 

“I know,” she rolled her eyes, “and then there was that part where you were keeping the fact you were dying a secret from me.” Pepper gave the billionaire a couple playful pats to the cheek. 

“Yeah, yeah, but back to my point. Why do I have to keep coming to these?” 

“You’re still the owner, you know that.” 

Pepper didn’t say anything else as the man groaned dramatically. He threw his head back with the groan, before righting himself and glancing towards his friend upfront, “anyways, where were we heading for lunch, Hap?” 

“You have a lunch meeting,” the driver responded. 

“Cancel it.” Tony waved the man off, purposely avoiding looking at his CEO, “what, Pep? I’m the _owner_ , remember? I can do what I want. Besides, I’m pretty sure something super important came up.” 

“And what might that be?” Pepper rolled her eyes, settling into the seat. 

“Lunch.” Tony answered. “Lunch with my girlfriend actually.” 

Pepper rolled her eyes, despite the warm feeling filling her. “You’re impossible.” 

“Hey, now. You know the only thing better than being fashionably late is fashionably-not-showing-up.” The billionaire gave her a crooked smile. 

Pepper shook her head. 

“You’re lucky I’m free. I just have to call Lisa and see what time I’m supposed to be back for that afternoon meeting you weaseled out of.” 

Tony shrugged as he pulled his phone from his pocket to busy himself while Pepper sorted herself out. 

Pepper dialed the number and pressed the device to her ear, waiting for the receptionist to pick up. 

“Hello, Miss Potts,” Lisa greeted with a warm voice. 

“Hi, Lisa. I was just calling to see what my schedule this afternoon looks like? When should I be back for that meeting with the possible investor?” 

“The meeting is at three o’clock this afternoon.” Lisa supplied. 

“Awesome, that’s all I really needed to know, so, if that’s all-” 

“Actually, we had someone come in looking for both Mister Stark and you this morning. He’s still waiting, shall I get security to escort him off the premises?” 

“Someone looking for both of us?” Pepper questioned, which gained Tony’s attention. “Someone we know?” 

“Uh, he seems to think so. Brown hair, brown eyes. Had a backpack. He’s young, like college student, maybe? Said his name was-” 

“Peter?” Pepper gaped, “Peter Parker?” 

“Yes,” Lisa hummed, “that’s the one. What shall I do?” 

“Pep, what’s going on?” Tony questioned; eyebrow raised in curiosity. 

“Uh, I’m going to put you on hold for a second, Lisa.” 

“Yes, Ma’am.” 

“Okay, one second.” Pepper put the phone on hold before looking at Tony. “Peter’s at SI. He was asking for us. He’s waiting for you- or, well us I guess.” Pepper explained, utterly confused, “It’s Thursday, shouldn’t he be in school?” 

“He should,” Tony nodded slowly. “Did she ask why he needed us? Did he look okay?” The man questioned her nervously, then turned to Happy, “SI, Hap. Pete’s there.” 

“You got it,” Happy nodded, and the car lurched into motion. 

Pepper pulled the phone back to her ear, bringing the call off of hold. “Lisa?” 

“Yes, Miss Potts?” 

“Tell him we’ll be there in ten. Offer him something to drink, or eat.” 

“Sure, Miss Potts. Is that all?” 

“Yes. I’ll see you in ten.” Pepper ended the call. She put her phone in her purse, frowning slightly. “I hope Peter’s all right. It’s not like him to be skipping school and randomly showing up at SI.” 

“He’s a good kid,” Tony cleared his throat, “he’s got a good reason.” 

And a good reason he did. 

\---- 

“I just spoke with Miss Potts,” Peter startled, looking towards the same receptionist he’d been talking to earlier. 

“You did?” He questioned, relaxing back a bit when noticing the woman wasn’t a threat, “what did she say? Should I just go?” He’d been waiting for an hour now, and was minutes away from leaving and heading to a park or something. 

“She’s on her way. Would you like a beverage, or something to snack on, perhaps? While you wait?” 

“Uh, n-no. I’m okay, thank you.” He flashed her a smile. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything for Miss Potts.” 

“Alright,” the woman nodded, not commenting on his statement, “Miss Potts is ten minutes out and will be here shortly, if you don’t mind waiting here?” 

“No,” Peter shook his head, “I’m fine. I don’t mind waiting.” The woman bowed her head and turned to make her way back to the desk. Peter noted that she didn’t say anything about him interrupting Miss Potts, which made worry flurry in Peter’s stomach. He was probably interrupting something. Hopefully it wasn’t too important. He could always just leave if she was super busy. 

He let his head fall against his shoulder, glancing at his fingers and wiggling them slightly with a grimace. It hurt a whole lot, but he could do it. His healing was still doing a shit job, as bruises ran up his forearm and slight movement sent intense pain either way through his arm. 

\---- 

It was almost eleven minutes until Peter heard the commotion. He’d been dozing in the chair, comforted by the noise of people talking to reception and the white noise of people doing their jobs. 

He couldn’t make out any voices, as everything just kinda blended together in his groggy state. He waited, just in case it wasn’t Pepper who arrived. 

But, within seconds, the familiar woman entered the small room, smiling at him. And then, to his surprise (and a little mortification) Tony Stark followed in behind her. 

“Hey, Pete, what’s up?” the man questioned. 

“The receptionist said you were looking for us, Sweetie?” Pepper continued. 

“I’m sorry,” he said first, earning confused looks from both of them, “I didn’t really think this through,” he gave an embarrassed laugh, “you’re both probably busy, I should... I’ll go somewhere else-” 

His brain had finally caught up with him. He could _see_ how stupid this looked. His arm hurt, so he goes to Tony freaking Stark for comfort? He had someone drive him across New York to see the man who he’d met a couple times for a hurt arm. Jesus. 

“No.” Mister Stark spoke, voice strong and demanding. “Come on, Kiddo. You’re allowed to be here. Besides, you’re already here, what’s the point of leaving now?” 

“You’re always welcome here, Sweetie,” Pepper gave him a small smile, slipping beside him to pat his shoulder, “now, why don’t the three of us head up to the office to talk? You know, Tony promised me lunch. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind buying for three?” 

“Yeah, Kiddo. Pep and I were going to order in, you know. There’s some real good Thai places around here?” 

It sounded nice. And it was just past noon now, so he was pretty hungry. Not that he’d actually been eating lunch. Plus, he loved Thai food. It was one of his favorite kinds of cuisine. 

“I can buy my own,” Peter hummed, standing to follow. 

“Yeah, no.” Tony laughed, “sorry, Buddy, but I always buy.” 

Peter thought better of putting up a fight. He’d already faught the cabbie for trying to be nice, it would be rude to fight Tony on this after dragging the man from whatever he was doing. 

The two adults made their way to an elevator; Peter following, but not without casting a hesitant look back at the reception area where the two ladies working there eyed him. 

“Common, Pete, won’t stay open forever,” Tony teased. Peter joined the couple in the elevator and couldn’t help but feel warm and safe. Just being in close proximity to the man was comforting him. 

Once they stopped on one of the upper floors, the two continued on, leaving Peter to catch up. The office they stepped into was huge. Peter glanced around curiously as Pepper sat herself in the office chair. Mister Stark huffed a laugh before settling into one of the two plush chairs on the opposite side. 

“Have a seat, Pete,” Tony patted the seat beside him. Peter shuffled over, settling himself anxiously beside the billionaire. He was nervous, but like not a scared kind of nervous- it was almost happy nervous, if that made any sense. 

He subconsciously pulled his sleeve down to cover his bruised right arm, bunching the material in his fist. 

“So, Kiddie, what did you want? We can pull the menu up for you, if you’d like?” 

“Uh, no. I’m okay. I’ll just get whatever you’re having,” Peter decided. He didn’t want to spend the man’s money, so this seemed like the safest option. 

“Sure,” Tony shrugged, “the usual then, Pep, double it though.” 

“N-” Peter gaped stuttering over his own breath. 

“Ah-ah, Spider baby. I know your metabolism. Not up for discussion, kiddo.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything else, Hun?” Pepper tilted her head, desk phone already in her hand. Peter shook his head mutely, screaming internally at the domesticity in the room at the moment. Peter ducked his head as Tony and Pepper shared a look. 

“So, uh, I’m just curious is all,” Tony muttered, hand dropping on the teen’s shoulder and pulling him from his thoughts, “for whatever reason you’re here, at SI, while I’m pretty sure school is still in session?” 

Peter’s mouth went dry as he thought of a good answer. Pepper had the back of the chair turned to them while she was talking to the restaurant. 

“Was having a bad day,” Peter whispered. And, he applauded himself for not really _lying_. He was having a bad day, terrible even- but that wasn’t why he was here. 

“Hm,” Tony nodded. “As much as I get that, you can’t really skip school for the hell of it. When you start showing up here when you’re supposed to be in school, they’re going to start watching the company- as much as we love having you around, Kiddo.” 

Made sense. 

“Yeah,” Peter hummed sadly. Tony raised an eyebrow. The kid was being weird. 

“Anyways, let’s just have fun while we can. You’re doing that Decathlon thing this weekend, aren’t ya?” 

“Oh, yeah!” Peter grinned, jumping straight into talking about how smart the team is and how cool the competition would be. 

The food arrived faster than Peter thought it would, but Mister Stark was probably a regular customer and probably treated the restaurant well, so they’d make him priority. The room smelt amazing, as soon as that same receptionist knocked on the door and handed the take out bags to Pepper. 

Mister Stark un-bagged everything, passing Pepper her container, taking one for himself and then sliding a stack of two towards Peter, who flushed and ducked his head as the adults grinned at him. 

“Well, eat up, Kiddo.” Tony gestured towards the containers, opening his own and grinning. 

“Here, honey,” Pepper slid him a set of chopsticks. 

It was then, that Peter realized that he messed up. He glanced to his throbbing right hand, then to the chopsticks on the table. There was no way he’d be able to hold the chopsticks. And he’d look like an idiot if he used his left hand (which he could barely hold a pencil with). 

“I’m uh... I’m actually not really hungry,” Peter fiddled with the sleeve, hoping he wasn’t being too obvious. 

“No can do, Kid. Eat your food.” Tony eyed him. Pepper watched from across the desk, pausing in her own eating to watch the exchange. 

“N-no, I’m fine, thanks.” 

“Peter.” Tony turned to him completely, food left abandoned on the desk. “I didn’t actually want to do this, but you’ve got my hands tied here, kid. Why were you actually looking for us? You came all the way here from Midtown, for what?” Tony crossed his arms across his chest, “and don’t tell me it’s nothing. I tell you it’s nothing. That’s how this works.” 

Peter heard Pepper scoff, but his mind was elsewhere. 

He debated his options, chewing his lip quietly. His eyes flicked from Tony to Pepper, then back to Tony. With a defeated sigh, Peter took his left hand and pushed up the sweater sleeve on the right. 

Tony’s eyes widened as he stared at his arm, and Pepper gasped. 

“What happened, Peter?” Tony questioned. His voice was clipped and Peter couldn’t quite place the emotions crossing Tony’s face. 

“I uh, an accident as Spide-” 

“No.” Tony narrowed his eyes. “No, Peter. Don’t lie to me. I know when the suit goes online. I get text alerts when Karen’s online. Don’t lie to me, Kid. Come on, what happened?” 

“Just tell us what happened, Pete?” Pepper tilted her head. Her presence was calming, and Peter was beyond grateful she was here. He took a breath, dropping his gaze to his lap. 

“Uh... the guy I’m staying with... m-my foster dad. He pushed me this morning...” 

_And then there was silence in the room._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Going to work on the next part right after I post this, so check back in a couple days! 
> 
> Some fun parental reactions to Peter getting injured in his home environment and parent Tony coming your way next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi! Back again like I said I would be :)
> 
> This chapter contains medical jargon, as well as some insight of the workings of my mind when it comes to medical things (Peter's broken arm + healing ability). Things are very iffy, I know, but Google can only take me so far!
> 
> Now! Very important! If you all, each and every reader, could be so kind as to answer the question at the end of this chapter in the comments section, I'd be very grateful! 
> 
> Anywho! Please enjoy the chapter!

Tony couldn’t express the sheer anger radiating through his body as he stared down at his kid’s bruised arm. What kind of waste of oxygen of a person would shove a kid around? 

And, a kid as sweet and nice as Peter Parker? 

He could hear Pepper talking to Peter, calming him down, but Tony was angry. He was pissed off. Someone had put their filthy fucking hands on his kid. Peter was hurt. Peter was hurt, and he’d been _hiding_ it. 

Peter’s forearm had a plethora of dark bruises leading up to the middle of his forearm, as well as to the base of his fingers. His fingers were swollen and pale and it looked like something was broken. Something had to be broken. 

“Pete,” he applauded himself for how even his voice sounded, despite being ready send an Iron Man suit to the guys house and blast him to tiny pieces. “What happened?” 

Tony watched as Peter ducked his head, silence filling the room once more. 

“It’s okay, honey, you’re alright.” Pepper soothed. She could’ve been talking to either of them, but he knew she was probably talking to Peter. In his moment of seeing red, Pepper had gotten up and crouched beside Peter. 

Peter was looking at them, but not really looking at them. He drew in shaky breaths, as his eyes flicked between the two. 

“Peter?” Tony questioned. It hurt his heart too see his boy like this. His cute little Peter, battered by the world and knock down again and again. 

To him, it was no different from Peter banged up in that hospital room. 

He himself drew in a shaky breath and Pepper turned momentarily to give him a small, calming smile. He didn’t know what he’d do without her. 

“You have to tell us what happened, honey,” Pepper’s voice was low, and Tony knew she herself was radiating with anger. 

“He, it uh, I was l-leaving for school, and he just shoved me. I could’ve... I should’ve have seen it coming, but I didn’t. I, uh, I hit my head on a shelf and...” he lifted the hand the had Tony seeing red all over again, “tried to catch myself...” 

Peter’s bottom lip wobbled, but he did not cry. 

“I’m sorry...” 

“No, honey. Don’t be sorry,” Pepper pulled him into her. Peter’s face snuggled right into Pepper’s neck and Tony felt his heart quicken. It was the cutest thing to see the woman he was in love with and the boy he considered to be his child cuddling like they were. 

Tony took a deep breath to ground himself, so he wouldn’t blow up on the kid in his state of anger. He stood, stepping over to Peter to place his hand on the boy’s back and rub gently. Peter loved it when he was little, and by the way Peter’s body gave an involuntary shiver and arched into the touch, he assumed the boy still did. 

The room was filled with nothing but deep breaths from Peter as he tried to calm himself. He was tucked away safe in Pepper’s arms, but the billionaire could still see the foul expression on his usually sweet CEO’s face. Her fingers carded through Peter’s hair as Peter tucked his face away from the world. 

Tony wanted nothing more in this moment then for Peter to be safe and healthy. He wanted the boy to have everything good in the world delivered to his doorstep, because this kid deserved it. 

“It’s not that bad,” Peter’s small voice sounded in the room. “He... an off day. He had an off day. And his wife wasn’t there this morning... She’s really nice, I promise.” 

“Peter,” Tony knew his voice was bordering on broken, “he put his hands on you. He’s supposed to take care of you, not push you around.” 

“I don’t think you know how the system works, Mister Stark...” and those words simply broke Tony. He didn’t. He had no fucking idea what he sent the boy into. In the bottom of his heart he knew that Peter was in this shitty situation because of _him_. Because he’d given the boy up. He had panicked, and now Peter had to live his life being afraid of the people responsible for him all because Tony hadn’t thought he could raise the boy. 

“Pete...” Tony whispered. 

“No, no. I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.” Peter pulled his face from Pepper, pulling away entirely. The chair scratched along the floor as he stood to his feet in a rush. Tony watched the boy, rooted in spot. “It’s different to everyone. Some kids get placed in perfect spots, and it leads to adoption. Others... we don’t get that.” The boy finished it was a small smile, no doubt to please the adults. 

“Peter...” Pepper tried. 

“No, I’m alright. I... I don’t even know why I came here. I just didn’t want to go home, and I couldn’t hold a pencil or anything at school. Just... I don’t know.” Peter looked wrecked. His hair was tousled, his clothes wrinkled and bunched up. His face was pale, but his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. 

“Kid,” Tony tried again, walking towards the boy who was panicking; full-fledge panicking in the office. 

“I didn't even think about how busy you guys would be. ’M sorry. School’s almost finished now. I can... I’ll just head to Ned’s. My wrist will.... Uh, the spider healing will kick in. Probably. It’s fine.” 

“This happened this morning?” Tony questioned. He was looking for anything that could keep Peter here with him. He could protect Peter here; he couldn’t protect the boy from the world. 

“Y-yeah, Mister Stark.” Peter turned to look at the man. He cradled his hand to his chest, and in that moment the boy looked years younger than he was. He looked innocent and adorable. 

“Well, something’s up with that then. It should be healed by now,” the man thought aloud. 

“Yeah... I know, I don’t know what’s up.” Peter stared at his wrist, poking the darkened skin gently. “You guys are busy though, I’ll... I have Ned. Ned and I’ll look at it-” 

“You know, Tony wasn’t your meeting cancelled?” Pepper spoke. She’d been quiet for a while and Tony almost forgot she was there with them. He turned to look at her in confusion; knowing he had simply found an excuse for the meeting earlier that week. “I have to get to my three o’clock, but yours was cancelled, wasn’t it? Why don’t you take Pete over to see Doctor Cho at the Tower?” 

And then it made sense. Tony grinned at his girlfriend’s quick thinking and then turned to Peter. 

“Yeah, it was a shame my last meeting of the day was cancelled. We can head to the tower if you’re interested though?” Tony hummed, looking indifferent to the suggestion, despite the feeling of wanting to throw the kid over his shoulder and drag him there no matter his answer. “I mean, worse comes to worst, we get you a nice cast until the bruising goes down?” 

“Um... if you’re not busy,” Peter scuffed his sneaker on the ground, biting his lip as he eyed Tony. 

“Perfect then. I can drive us. Happy’ll stay with you, and bring you home when your meeting is over.” Tony stepped forward to press a chaste kiss to Pepper’s lips. Pepper grinned, returning the kiss before moving to Peter and pulling his head to her lips, planting a careful kiss to his hair. 

“Get his head checked out, too. Don’t want any surprises. He did hit a shelf.” Her hand carefully brushed through his curls and he leaned into the touch. 

How could he forget that already? Peter had a sensitive head- even more so than the average human due to the swelling from his younger years. 

Pepper left the room quickly after, she was already a couple minutes late as it was. Peter was left as a puddle of flushing skin and a dopey little smile. 

Tony didn’t mention it though, instead clapped the boy on the shoulder once before planting his hand and leading him out of the office. 

Tony had cars everywhere, the one he unlocked was an SI car that employees used to travel to meetings or run errands. It was a nicer car, but definitely not one he’d pick if he had the choice between all his cars. Peter got in beside him, and settled his bookbag at his feet. 

“So, did the staff treat you alright? We don’t usually get high schoolers coming looking for me, so everyone was a little out of their elements.” 

“Uh...” Peter tilted his head, not wanting to get the secretary in trouble. She’d been kinda rude, but he’d been pretty adamant about finding either Mister Stark or Miss Potts. “It was alright.” The boy decided. 

“Mhm,” Tony turned his head to give the boy a look over his glasses. “You’re pretty shit at lying,” Tony concluded, turning his gaze back out the windshield and starting the car. He pulled out of the parking spot gracefully and maneuvered easily around the other company cars parker around. 

Peter gave the man a small smile, so Tony continued, “I don’t know if you’ll be planning anymore visits to SI, but Pepper’s going to get you an ID badge printed today before she comes home. It’ll eliminate everything that happened today the next time you show up. I’m sure you can find your way to the office, right?” 

Peter gave a nod. 

“Good,” the billionaire nodded in return. There was a bit of a silence where Tony could actually think. He’d calmed down significantly, and could look at Peter without his eyes finding the swollen mess of his arm. But he had questions. Lots of them. 

“So, uh, how’ve you been?” 

_Shit. What the hell was that?_

“How’ve I been?” Peter questioned, eyes flicking to the man in curiosity, “are you referring to my state of being from after you gave me back, leading up to this point or just this current foster home?” 

And Tony’s mouth went dry. He swallowed, eyes flicking from the road and back to the teenager watching him with a calculating stare. 

Peter spoke after realizing Tony wasn’t going to respond, “alright.” 

The man’s eyes landed on the kid as he stopped in front of a red light. 

“Alright?” He repeats, turning to stare the kid down, “Peter, you showed up at SI looking for me, or Pepper, or, anyone you know, in the middle of the day while you’re supposed to be in school- then, you proceed to hide a broken arm and possible concussion from us, and then you go and tell me you’re _alright_?” 

“Okay... I’ve been better?” The boy cocked his head, “light’s green.” 

The man turned swiftly and pressed the gas pedal. 

“I’m seriously okay. I’ve had worse, Mister Stark.” Tony swallowed once more, squeezing his eyes shut for a second before opening them and focusing on the road again. The words pierced through him just as when the boy had muttered _‘this isn’t the worst I’ve seen’_ after getting stabbed in the alley. He wasn’t sure that the boy knew that attempting to reassure him that it wasn’t the worst he’d been through was tearing his heart to shreds. 

“How’s school?” Peter stared for a second, noting the abrupt conversation change, but shrugged and answered anyways. 

Tony wasn’t sure he’d be able to stomach anything the kid told him right now. It would just fuel the absolute anger raging in him. The wound was still fresh, both literally and figuratively. Peter’s arm was raw and damaged and Tony knew he’d go after the asshole who’d done it if the boy told him more of the years they’d spent apart. 

Small talk continued as they drove to the Tower. The man was actually interested in what Peter had to say, and it was the first time in a while Peter felt like someone actually wanted to hear what he had to say. Not just to be nice, Mister Stark was actually listening and replying and making comments on what he was telling him. It warmed Peter’s heart; bringing a bright smile to his face. 

Tony pulled into the underground parking lot at the Tower, turning to the teen and frowning. 

“How’s the arm?” Peter was staring at his wrist, fingers twitching as he attempted to flex the muscles. It was still drawn to his chest, and the boy had pulled his sleeve back down so most of the damage couldn’t be seen. 

“A little sore still.” 

“We’ve got something for that. Cho’s great. You’ll like her.” He was really hoping the woman would be able to give them some answers. She was just as lost with his enhancements, but she had more of a medical background then Tony, and maybe she’d be able to tell what the hell was going on with the healing. 

They got out of the car together, Tony swiping the boy’s backpack and pulling it over one shoulder as he carefully ruffled the kid’s hair. 

No one raised an eye as Tony strode into the building, Peter quickly following behind him like a duckling. 

The med wing was on the seventeenth floor. The elevator ride up was quiet. Peter shifted on his feet, staring at the doors. 

“Mister Stark,” Helen Cho greeted him when the doors parted. “Oh, hello,” she called, noticing Peter. The teen lifted his good hand in a lazy wave, biting his lip as he gave her a tiny smile. 

“Cho. This is Peter. He’s a Super, and has gotten himself a little injured.” Tony explained, gesturing for the kid to show her his arm. The boy did as wanted, rolling his sleeve up. Tony narrowed his eyes to keep himself from storming from the room to track the boy’s foster down. “Happened this morning, but he’s got crazy fast healing, so we weren’t sure what’s going on.” 

The doctor stepped closer to Peter, taking his arm into her hands with a gentleness he hadn’t seen from her before. She studied his arm, running her fingers along the odd bumps that hadn’t been there before. 

“Any pain med?” 

“No, metabolism’s too fast.” Tony answered, casting a sympathetic look to his kid. 

“Poor boy,” she frowned. “Come, sit. I’ll grab you something that’ll help, and then I can take a closer look, and maybe get some x-rays with the portable machine.” 

Peter sat himself on the examination table, eyeing around the room. This part of the med bay was different from the room he’d been placed in after being stabbed. It was open with curtains that could separate the multitude of gurney beds spread around. 

Tony stood behind the boy, watching over his shoulder and rubbing his shoulder. Doctor Cho returned pretty fast, handing the teen a white chalky pill. He swallowed the tablet with a sip from the water bottle she offered. 

Peter sat quietly through the exam. Although he was being asked the questions, Tony was answering everything. Peter couldn’t help but smile as he thought of how much of a dad Mister Stark was being, telling the doctor everything. Peter simply looked back at him whenever Doctor Cho would ask him anything, and apparently Mister Stark was more than happy to answer. 

“So, the healing is working,” Helen called after finishing her examination. The x-rays were transferring to the hologram screen in the room so she could show them what she meant. 

“It is?” Peter tilted his head, eyes falling to his wrist in distaste, “so what happened then?” 

“Well, you’re a fast healer,” she commented, “so as soon as the bone snapped, your body was already trying to mend the bones together.” She drew up the x-rays, pointing to a nasty crack in the middle of the boy’s wrist. “At the base of your arm, your ulna completely snapped, and the radius bone is cracked.” 

“Ouch,” Tony cocked his head to study the x-rays. 

“As said earlier, the body was trying fix what was wrong as soon as it happened, but the bones weren’t aligned. So, it was mending things that weren’t in place. The bruising is just the body being mad the healing isn’t working.” 

“How do... how do I fix it?” 

“To fix something like that, I’ll have to do a fracture reduction, which is basically just re-breaking your wrist and putting everything back together before it can start healing. That, of course, will be hard to do that without this re-happening.” Cho gestured to the boy’s wrist, “we have a medication that’ll stunt your healing for twelve hours. Without the super healing, I’ll have time to properly align everything and get you set up in a cast. You’ll only need it for a day or two. Once the medication wears off, I estimate that the bones will be healed in a day, to a day and a half.” 

Peter nodded. 

“Okay.” 

Tony faintly remembers developing the medication for Cap when he busted up his fingers in a training exercise. They’d been mangled as they healed however they were left on his way to the med bay. 

He stayed by the boy as Helen organized everything. Peter took the second pill offered, sending a hesitant look back at Tony. Peter swallowed the pill after Tony gave him a smile and a nod. 

The billionaire almost had to leave the room as Helen medically broke the boy’s bone, the sound ringing in the room. His heart rate sped at Peter’s pained expression, but the kid sent him a hesitant smile that almost made the man scoff. 

The doctor made quick work of the cast, Peter slyly glancing at the billionaire before requesting hotrod red as the colour. 

The whole ordeal took about three hours, and that was just Peter’s arm. 

“He hit his head too,” Tony informed Doctor Cho before Peter had the chance to stand up, “he’s had serious head injuries before, and I just want to make sure everything’s good.” 

Tony didn’t seem to notice Peter staring at him with a confused look. How on earth did Mister Stark know about that? As far as he knew the billionaire only knew that he’d been in a car accident. How did Mister Stark know how serious his injury was? 

He stored it away with all the other questions he was going to ask the man when he grew some balls. 

Doctor Cho examined Peter’s head, pressing down on certain spots and doing a quick cranial nerve exam. 

“No, he looks alright. His healing cleared whatever was going on up here. But still, bring him down if he starts getting imbalanced, confused or he starts vomiting. The medication I'm giving him will make him groggy and tired, so, don't confuse the symptoms.” 

“Duly noted,” Tony nodded, helping the boy to his feet now. 

They got in the elevator to move up to the penthouse. 

“There’s probably something you can eat in the fridge, or DUM-E could make you a protein shake. I’d warn you he sucks at it, but he just gets so darn excited when he sees you drink his creations. Only if you have a strong stomach though.” Tony mumbled as they walked into the penthouse, Friday greeted them as usual, and Peter returned the AI’s sentiment. “Pepper’ll be home in like an hour, I don’t know if you want to wait for her before you eat? It’s Chinese takeout night.” 

“Sounds great, Mister Stark,” Peter yawned. Tony watched the kid collapse on the couch, stretching his legs out and crossing his arms across his chest in a tired manner. 

“Pain killers hitting you?” Tony grinned. 

The boy blinked owlishly, nodding once before shutting his eyes. 

“Yeah, she’s got you on the good stuff until your healing's back online.” Tony hummed, his heart fluttering with a fond feeling as he watched the boy move to curl in on himself, “you nap, I’ll wake you when Pepper gets home.” 

“M’kay, dad.” Peter’s eyes fluttered shut. Tony stood frozen in the kitchen. The fridge beeped angrily at him for being open for too long, but his mind was moving too fast to process. 

Peter was beyond high at this point. Helen had given him two of Cap’s strongest pills to counteract the pain of his broken, then re-broken wrist. 

A breath of air flowed out of him, then he drew in a much-needed shaky breath. Peter had... he’d done it again. Peter called him dad. _Teenager Peter had called him dad._

Tony wasn’t sure what that actually meant for the two of them. Was the boy remembering? Was he just feeling like Tony was kind of like a father figure again? Or, was the boy simply tripping on balls to the point he wasn’t going to remember this when he woke? _Probably that last one._

The man tried not to let the words warm him. Peter didn’t mean them, he was hurt, drugged and looking for comfort. Probably a slip of tongue. Because Peter didn’t remember. _Unlikely_ to remember. 

Tony settled himself at the breakfast bar, close so he could keep an eye on the boy, yet somewhere he could get some work done on a Stark Pad. As much as he needed to get some SI work done, as well as start sketching some new Iron Man suit ideas, his mind kept drifting to how the boy broke his wrist. 

Pushed. 

He’d been pushed by a grown ass man. Some asshole had pushed a teenager. Pushed _his_ kid. 

That didn’t sit well. Like hell would Tony, _Iron Man_ , sit back and watch that kid, who he loved with all his heart, get pushed around by some asshole foster who was using the boy as a pay cheque. 

“Tony?” He turned to look at Pepper. The woman placed an SI card on the table, Peter’s smiling face on the top right corner. “What are you thinking about?” 

“You know, Pepper, I think it’s about time I have a little chat with Amanda White.” 

“Peter’s social worker?” Pepper raised an eyebrow. Her eyes drifted to the couch where the boy was passed out, breaths even. “Please tell me you aren’t going to make a scene?” she pleaded as she moved to pulled the throw blanket off the back of the couch and cover the boy. 

“Oh, no.” Tony shook his head, “I’m going to throw a fucking _fit_.” 

“Oh God,” Pepper sighed. She paused, thinking it over before looking at the man with the same foul expression she’d had earlier while cradling the boy, “if you do it tomorrow morning, I’ll come with. I have some things I want to say too.” 

“It’s settled then,” Tony concluded, voice dropping significantly as his protective anger raised, “someone is going to be so fucking sorry for touching _my_ kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **PLEASE READ!**
> 
> Hi, so, I panicked when it came to titling this sequel because I was in a rush to post it right after the last chapter of _Publicity Parent_. I didn't really like it that much, but y'know stress.
> 
> Now, I think I've come up with a better title. I was thinking of changing it from _He Came Back_ to _Unlikely_?
> 
> Just wanted to know what you all think? Which one do you like better? Didn't want to just change the title on you guys. Please comment so I know which one you guys prefer! And, thank you so much if you do! I'm really struggling with this decision. I'll see what the comments say, and next chapter I'll tell you guys if it'll change or not :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, reader!   
> Glad you're back for another chapter, next one is already in process!
> 
> After doing the voting last chapter (wow, thank you all sooo much! I didn't expect that many people helping me with it, and it was super amazing!) I have decided that the title will stay the same! Just seems easier, I don't want people to just lose this work if they only know it by the name, and the votes for both titles were fairly even. 
> 
> Some angry Iron parents this chapter because angst is the best.  
> Anyways, Enjoy!

Tony and Pepper managed to get Peter to eat some of the Chinese food they ordered before the kid passed out on the couch again. 

The man would’ve liked to get the boy into an actual bed, but by the time he’d noticed the boy dozing off there was already chow mein in Peter’s lap and the fork he was using was hovering over the space between the coffee table and himself. 

Together he and Pepper laid the boy down, Tony set to work covering him with the throw blanket as Pepper slipped a pillow under his head from one of the guest rooms. 

A feeling he hadn’t felt since his month with Peter fluttered in Tony’s chest. And, the fact Peter, in his drugged-up state, had called him dad only made the fluttering worse. Tony, of course, didn’t bother telling Pepper of the boy’s word choice. 

As much as he loved the woman, it was something that would’ve embarrassed Peter terribly if he ever heard them talking about it. 

Plus, it was a little something he could keep close to himself. A little reminder of what he had once, and how much Peter had loved him. He honestly thought he’d never hear those words from anyone, let alone that boy, again. 

The two had gone to bed quite late that evening, Tony lying awake with Pepper in his arms. She never really had a problem falling asleep, but well, Tony himself was a bit of an insomniac- not matter how much better was getting with actually sleeping. 

The man slipped from the bed, padding quietly to the living room where Peter was still sound asleep. 

He couldn’t help but just stare at the boy and be comforted that the boy was sleeping soundly (heavily drugged). He watched the teen’s chest rise and fall with each relaxed breath. Peter was curled into the blanket, fingers tightly clutching the edge. Tony’s mind fell back to when Peter carried around that cute little green blanket. 

He wondered if the boy still had it, it had provided immense comfort for the boy, but teenagers were always fickle about holding onto things that could classify them as a child. 

Tony stepped closer, feeling weird to even be in his living room while the boy was asleep, but not having enough will power to carry on to the lab just yet. He settled his hand on Peter’s hair, flinching as he made contact. 

After a second with no movement from the boy, the man carefully carded his fingers. Peter nuzzled into the touch almost instantly, and if the boy could purr like a cat, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind Peter would be. 

The boy looked so innocent and calm; he looked years younger when asleep. A small smile filtered across the man’s face. 

He took a step back, turning quickly and retreating to the safety of the lab. 

Tony busied himself with a new repulser he’d been tinkering with. 

\--- 

At some point in the night, the billionaire had managed to pass out at the work desk. He jolted away when a voice called out to him, “Boss, Miss Potts is awake and looking for you. Mister Parker is also in the process of waking.” 

“Yeah, yes. Tell her I’ll be right up.” 

The man raked a hand through his hair, yawning quietly to himself as he stood. He hadn’t made much work with the repulser, but he’d managed to catch some sleep, so he counted it as a win. 

He trailed to the living room, where Pepper was smiling as a bleary-eyed Peter Parker. 

“Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty. How was your drugged-out snooze?” Tony teased as he made his way to the coffee pot, where Pepper had thankfully prepared a pot already. 

“Don’t mind him, Sweetie, he’s just jealous because he didn't sleep,” Pepper huffed as she sipped her mug of coffee, then she shot the billionaire a careful glare over her mug. 

“It was... alright. Why am I here?” Peter questioned, he looked towards the blanket he was still cocooned in, before glancing at the two adults. 

“You were pretty messed up yesterday after the meds, didn’t wanna send you out like that.” 

“But, my foster... I’ll, I’ll be in trouble. I should go-” a thought of realization hit the teen, “and school! God! I’m late for school!” 

“No, honey. You’re not going to school today,” Pepper said quietly, setting her mug of coffee on the coffee table to sit beside the boy, “you can’t really leave with the cast on. It’ll be super strange if you show up on Friday in a cast you didn’t have Thursday and don’t show up with it on Monday.” _Point taken_. 

“And, y’know, it’s only like six AM. Pepper wakes up real early, Kiddo.” 

Peter’s eye flew to the clock in the room and his face scrunched up slightly. There was a quiet exhale of ‘oh’, that had Tony stifling a laugh in his mug. 

“You get to hang around here for the day. Cho will be checking you tonight to see if you’re healed yet.” At the mention, the boy pulled his arm out from under the blanket and stared at the cast. He wiggled his fingers wincing slightly before shrugging. 

“What are we doing today until then?” 

“Well, Kiddo, Pep and I have an important meeting to attend too, so you’ll be hanging here until we get back. Maybe we can head for lunch or something?” Tony hummed, taking the last mouthful of coffee left in his mug before continuing past the two on the couch, “I’m going to get dressed.” 

“Wait, you guys are leaving me here alone?” Peter turned to look at Pepper. 

“Well, you’re a little old for babysitters, aren’t you?” Pepper teased easily. 

“No, I mean, yes! I am too old for a babysitter, but, like, I have to be here... without you guys?” Peter tilted his head. 

“Sure,” Pepper nodded, “we’ll only be a few hours, you can order food, or make food- try not to burn the place down, uh, Tony’s got pretty much anything you’d ever want to watch- just ask Friday.” Pepper explained to the boy. “I have to go get ready too, make yourself at home, honey.” 

Despite how hesitant Peter seemed about the whole ordeal, he promised not to leave the pent house. 

Tony and Pepper slipped out the door with the promise to be back by noon, or get Friday to update the boy if they’d be stuck at the meeting for longer than anticipated. He seemed okay with being left curled into the blankets with Star Wars playing on the huge TV in the living room. 

“That was easier than I thought it would’ve been.” Tony mumbled to Pepper as the two loaded into the car. Happy turned, waiting for the destination to be given to him. The grimace she supplied expressed her feelings on how things could’ve turned out. 

Afterall, as far as Peter knows, they’re still practically strangers (Pepper more than Tony, but still). 

“Take us to the social services office, Happy. We have words to speak.” Tony growled. 

“Please, Happy,” Pepper gave the man an exasperated smile. 

The office wasn’t too far from the tower, so they arrived about twenty minutes later. Tony stepped out first, hand on the door while Pepper pulled herself from the car. The billionaire shut the door after exchanging some words with Happy about parking and waiting. 

The office had a couple office workers, as well as some people sitting in the waiting room. The billionaire marched up to the desk, power radiating off his form. Pepper stepped up beside him, friendly smile, but tense stance as they waited for the man typing away on his computer to look up at them. 

“Please have a seat, someone will be with you shortly,” the man robotically spouted at them, not looking away from his monitor. 

“No.” Tony growled quietly, “someone will see me now. I’m a busy man and I don't have a lot of patience.” 

“Sir-” the man looked up promptly to address Tony’s attitude, but just as fast, his jaw dropped, “Mister Stark... what, uh, what can I-I do for you?” 

“Amanda White. Is she in?” 

“Mrs. White is in. Let me, let me just give her office a call and see if she’s busy or not- you can... uh, sit-” 

“We’ll stand, thanks.” The billionaire narrowed his eyes, crossing one ankle over the other as he leaned on the counter. Pepper gave the receptionist a small smile, straightening her back as she stepped towards Tony. 

The two watched as the man picked up his office phone and dialed a number. It was maybe a second later that the person on the other end picked up, and they exchanged hushed words. 

“She says you can come back, she’s the third door on the left.” The man pointed behind himself where a lone hallway sat. He didn’t take his eyes off the couple, eyes wide in awe. 

“Thank you,” Pepper spoke before Tony could, then quickly ushered the man down the hallway. The two found the office pretty fast, considering each door had the office owner’s name on a plastic engraving. 

Pepper knocked, and the two waited until the door was pulled open. 

“Ah, Mister Stark. Mrs. Potts. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” the woman to pull the door open greeted. 

Tony remembered the woman, not terribly well, but enough. He had only met the woman though his home inspection, and then again when he was giving Peter’s stuff back after the accident. She looked older, but almost the same, a nice addition was the wedding ring on her left hand. 

“Yes, Mrs. White. We’re terribly sorry about the visit under such short notice, but we have some concerns.” Pepper flattened her dress before swiftly sitting herself in one of the chairs across from the woman’s desk. Tony stood in the doorway, back to the closed door, eyeing the room uninterestedly. 

“Concerns about what, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“Concerns about where you’ve been placing Peter Parker!” Tony snarled. He’d been quiet long enough, and his anger was just growing at the familiarity of the woman and wellbeing of Peter. 

Amanda looked momentarily shocked, but it was gone just as fast as it was there, “and what might these concerns be?” 

“I saw where he was placed a couple months ago. That place was a shithole. How could you people let a kid live somewhere like that?” Tony hissed, lip curling, “you’re putting that boy with a family who only use him as a _pay cheque_. With adults who don’t actually want him, and just deal with him for the however much you give them a month to house the boy.” 

“I see where you’re coming from, Mister Stark, but we have a routine when it comes to placing children with possible fosters. There are home inspections, much like the one you had, and monthly drop ins-” 

“That’s not enough!” Tony took a step towards the desk, eyes glowing with anger, “these are children. Human children. You can’t just place these kids with strangers and expect everything to be right as rain!” 

“Mister Stark, I assure you we do background checks, and we only place children safe environments-” 

“Bullshit!” Tony scoffed, “Yeah, perfect places for kids. So, why, if I may ask, is Peter’s current foster father shoving him around, huh? Peter showed up at Stark Industries yesterday after he couldn’t write in class- the kid’s got a broken wrist. Peter’s foster father pushed him around, and now the kid’s got a broken wrist.” Tony stared the woman down for a second before his posture relaxed, “I mean, yeah, that seems like the _perfect_ environment for a teenager to grow up in.” 

Pepper rolled her eyes quickly at the man’s sarcasm. 

She placed her hand on Tony’s forearm, and the man instantly looked towards her. “We’re just concerned for Peter’s wellbeing. It was shocking to us for him to show up at Stark Industries after being injured at home.” Pepper said with an angered professional smile, then, as a second thought, she continued, “we’re also a little concerned about the fact we’re the people he apparently feels safest with? He was seeking us out, Mister Stark especially, for comfort.” 

The two watched Amanda sputter quietly as she processed the word vomit Tony launched at her. 

“Broken arm?” Amanda questioned, turning to her computer and typing something in. 

“And, _and_ the kid wacked his head off a shelf- which could’ve been _deadly_ for him, might I remind you, he had a major head injury.” Tony narrowed his eyes. 

“Yes, I remember,” the woman gave them a frown then looked back at her monitor, “Peter’s foster father is an ex-marine. He and his wife passed all criteria we have to be able to foster a child. They’re ideal foster parent, I find it hard to believe-” 

“No. No, no.” Tony snapped, “I have proof. You think I would’ve come all this way without the kid’s medical records?” He tapped a couple things on his phone, and then Doctor Cho’s medical report was projected into the room. 

Even without the doctor there to explain everything, the clear split in the boy’s bones was more than enough evidence. Amanda stared long and hard at the projection, mumbling words to herself, and tracing along the bone with the back of a pen. 

Tony took a deep breath, leveling his voice before speaking as calmly as he possibly could, “I understand you have a process, or, whatever you have around here, but I can’t accept that little boy being placed somewhere, where he gets pushed around-- I mean-” his voice raised, but he caught it, clearing his throat and dropping it right back to neutral, “his wrist is broken. The man who is supposed to be protecting him, pushed him down, and now he’s got a broken wrist. I can’t just sit back and watch that happen. Especially not with Peter.” 

The thought of any little kid, or foster child getting shoved around struck a nerve in Tony, but the idea of _Peter_ getting pushed around broke his heart completely, and there was no way he could sit quietly and watch the kid struggle. 

“Yes. I agree... Yes.” Amanda nodded, eyes determined, “Peter will be relocated ASAP, but, Mister Stark- you need to understand that if Peter doesn’t come to me with concerns, there’s nothing I can do. We have a lot of children placed around, and we just don’t have enough eyes here to have twenty biweekly check ins with each and every child.” 

“Yes, we understand,” Pepper spoke before he could, “but Peter holds a place in our hearts and seeing him in pain was terrible.” 

“I see. It’s not pleasant to see any child in pain.” She gave them a sympathetic look. 

“You know, I’m interested in making a pretty hefty donation here. But I have one request before I do so,” Tony spoke strongly, puffing his chest to look intimidating, “Peter’s current foster parents. Denied. Deny their requests. That man will not get his hands on one more single foster child.” 

Tony curled his lip at the thought of the scum bag, before continuing, “no charges are being pressed, as long as Peter’s safe, and no other child has to go through what Peter did.” His eyes trailed to where Peter’s x-rays were still projecting into the room, he stared and remembered his anger, “and that’s me being nice about him touching Peter. If I had my way, that asshole would have his ass thrown in prison- and that’s after an Iron Man suit blasts through his door.” 

Pepper slapped his arm, sighing. “He’s joking. He’s not going to do that.” she cleared up, before her voice dropped, “but if that man gets another child from here, there will definitely be legal matters for you, and them to tend to. We don’t take things like what happened to Peter lightly, and we _don’t_ lose in court.” 

Tony turned a proud smile to his girlfriend. Pepper was amazing. And scary. She was very scary. 

“Now, I have one more topic to discuss before I write you a giant cheque for your time in this utter mess of a meeting,” Tony curled his lips into a tight smile. 

“And that would be, Mister Stark?” 

_“I’d like to apply for guardianship of Peter Parker.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading another chapter!
> 
> Please do keep commenting, I love each and every one I get; from the sweet ones that make me smile to the funny ones I randomly remember and laugh at when I'm sitting with my family (I also Snapchat these to my best friend to see his reaction lol). The more people who want me to update, and vocalize it, the more motivated I'll be to write!
> 
> Anyways, I hope everyone's okay with the title debacle, and I hope to see you all next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Welcome back to another chapter! 
> 
> Ned's so underappreciated in a lot of fanfictions, so I'm going to be including him a bit more throughout the story. Because like, I love Ned?? And their friendship is just so darn cute. 
> 
> Anyways, please enjoy~

Peter wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself in Mister Stark’s luxurious penthouse. 

Star Wars played on the tv that was quite possibly the same size as the square footage in his room at his foster home. It filled the silence of the billionaire's penthouse with white noise, but Peter couldn’t really be focusing on his favorite movie. 

There were more important things to be thinking about then Star Wars, if you could believe that. 

Firstly, there was the fact that that had been the best night sleep he can remember having- and it’s not just because of the super human drugs that were coursing through his system. 

The blanket he was wrapped in was soft, and the nicest he could remember ever sleeping in. It was like being wrapping in warm clouds. The couch was big and plush, comfier than his bed back home, and probably costed as much as the small apartment his foster parents rented. 

His surroundings definitely looked like someone with money to waste was living here. The decor in the room looked as if a billionaire owned (which one did); everything was nice, clean and expensive looking—and Peter could tell simply by looking at it. 

He should’ve been able to guess the man liked things nice, simply by seeing his multimillion-dollar lab at the compound. He still hadn’t seen the Tower’s Lab, but Peter was quite familiar with the med bay at this point. 

Secondly, Ned. 

Oh God, Ned was going to kill him. 

Peter scrabbled off the couch, launching himself at his school bag that was sitting on a chair beside the couch. 

His phone was at thirty percent, which wasn’t great, but it would do. 

He winced as the flood of missed calls and unopened texts filled the screen. Thirty-one missed calls and forty-four text notifications. 

Surprisingly though, not all of them were from Ned, majority- but not all. A few from MJ, one or two from his foster mom, and one from his foster father that made him swallow nervously. 

He sent a quick text to MJ, promising he’d be at school on Monday and then scrolled through Ned’s texts. Ned was a worrier. Plain and simple. 

He had just gone off the radar, which was something he never did to Ned. Ned was his guy in the chair, and he always tried to keep him in the loop. 

Peter sent a quick text off to his foster mom, but deleted the one from his foster father, then typed one to Ned. 

It was halfway into second period at this point, so Ned would be distracted, but to his surprise, a second later his phone rang. Ned’s contact flashing on the screen. Peter laughed momentarily before clumsily answering and holding the phone to his ear with his left hand. 

“Peter! Where the hell are you?! Your foster dad called my mom last night looking for you, and then you don’t show up at school, and, you ignore my texts and calls?” Ned sounded out of breath, like he’d been running a marathon. 

“Ned, woah, hey, calm down. I’m fine- er, well, mostly. I will be.” his eyes fell to the white cast still protecting his arm. “I sent you a text yesterday morning.” 

“Yeah, to tell me you weren’t feeling up for school- not that you were going to disappear off the face of the earth!” Ned practically shouted, Peter pulled the phone from his ear, biting his lip before placing it back. 

“I’m sorry, Ned. I got into a bit of trouble and just... I don’t know.” 

“Spider-Man trouble?” 

“Shh! Ned!” Peter gaped. How could he address him like that at _school_. 

“Why? Is there a secret microphone or something in my bedroom I don’t know about?” 

“You’re at home?” Peter questioned surprised. Ned wasn’t one for skipping school. "And no, it wasn't Spider-Man trouble."

“Yes. I went to school this morning, and when you didn’t show up to first, I called my mom and told her I was sick. I’m stressed, Peter! You were just gone. And I’m the only one who knows just how dangerous you going MIA can be!” 

“I’m sorry, Ned,” Peter apologized, flopping back onto the couch and pulling the blanket around himself. “I meant to call you; I really did. But things just moved so fast, and then I was in the med bay and the doctor, she was super nice, said she had to break my wrist again for it to heal, and then they give me some pain meds, and they were like... _really_ good ones- and I don’t remember much after that.” 

“What the hell! Where are you, you’re telling me you were drugged? Peter! Wait, break your wrist _again_? You said it wasn’t Spider-Man trouble!” 

“It’s wasn’t.” Peter sighed, flopping back against the pillow, “it was one-hundred percent Peter Parker trouble.” 

“Wait, wait, wait. Start from the beginning! I’m so lost Peter.” 

And he did. Peter went on about his foster father breaking his wrist yesterday morning, to the cab ride to Stark Industries where he waited for Mister Stark and Miss Potts to get out of a meeting, then to the office where refused to eat the Thai food because of his wrist, “It was so weird, Ned. I mean like, Mister Stark just got all quiet and he was like vibrating with anger and Miss Potts was just like hugging me and shushing me. She kissed my forehead before she left for a meeting.” 

“No way! Then what happened?” 

And he continued on to the car ride over to the Tower, and then meeting doctor Cho, “I heal too fast to have broken bones, she gave me something to, I don’t know, to stop my powers or something? It was literally mending itself back together as I walked out of school. Then she rebroke it, and it hurt so bad, but Mister Stark was right there, so I just kinda man-ed up, y’know?” 

“Ouch, Peter, are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s almost healed now. Cho’s probably going to take the cast off tonight.” 

“Yeah okay, so what happened after that?” 

“I... don’t really remember. She gave me some pills to help with the pain and Mister Stark brought me up to the penthouse, and... that’s all I remember. This morning I woke up tucked in a blanket on the couch while Mister Stark and Miss Potts were in the kitchen drinking coffee.” 

“Wait... so you’re _in_ Tony Stark’s pent house right now?” 

“Yep,” Peter grinned, popping the ‘p’, “his house is so nice, man. Like I’m pretty sure this blanket is made of clouds!” 

“It’s double sided faux fur actually, not clouds.” 

Peter froze, swallowing hard as his eyes drifted to the duo at the door. Mister Stark grinned, and Miss Potts gave him a small smile. He held the phone for a second longer before blinking his eyes closed and mumbling quietly to his friend, “I... I gotta go, I’ll call you later.” 

“Peter, wait-” Peter hung of the phone, shooting off a quick sorry text. 

“Mister Stark, hi.” 

“Hi.” the man replied, an underlying teasing tone. “So, I know we promised you lunch, but there’s a slight change of plans.” 

“Wha-” 

Peter froze as the elevator dinged and out stepped Happy, with his social worker in tow. 

“Amanda?” Peter tilted his head, eyes narrow as he followed the woman’s confident strides into the penthouse. _What the hell was happening?_

“Hi, Peter. I hear you’ve been having some problems with your foster parents?” She stepped towards him and slowly pulled the blanket the was covering most of his body down enough to expose his t-shirt clad chest and arms. She sighed heavily, eyeing the teen carefully before her gaze lingered on the white cast. 

“It’s alright,” Peter promised, very confused as to what was going on. Why was Amanda here? Did Mister Stark bring her to collect him? Had he done something wrong? 

“What, uh, are you... I mean,” Peter turned his attention to Tony and Pepper who’d stepped into the room, but not made any move towards him, “I mean, you guys could’ve just asked me to leave... Didn’t need’ta get Amanda involved...” Peter threw the blanket off himself completely, standing and reaching for his backpack. 

“No, Pete. That's not what’s happening here,” Tony promised, “I want you here. And I’m glad you came to us when you needed us.” 

“Yes, Hun, I’m here for a home inspection.” 

“A... why’re you _here_ for a home inspection?” Peter was completely dumbfounded. 

“Mister Stark is currently in the process of applying to be your guardian.” Amanda explained with one of her rare real smiles. It was small, but real. “Of course, everything is moving along rather fast, considering what you’ve been through recently, you poor boy.” 

“...what?” Peters mind stopped. It felt like someone had zapped a shock of electricity through his brain and fried it. It didn’t make sense. His head tilted and his gaze flicked between Tony and Pepper. 

“Right.” Amanda clapped her hands together, “we don’t usually have the child in question here with us, but shall we continue on with the inspection?” 

“Yes.” Mister Stark agreed quickly, “uh, Hap, why don’t you go do a coffee run? Usual for Pep and I, Mrs. White, anything for you?” 

“Just a tea, thanks.” 

“Sure, a tea for the lovely lady and... Pete wants a hot chocolate, extra whipped cream, and those little chocolate pieces, if they've got ‘em.” 

“Right away, Boss,” Happy agreed, and then his was gone- disappeared into the elevator. Peter didn’t even question how the man knew he didn’t like coffee, or the fact he knew exactly how he liked his hot chocolate, there was better things to occupy his mind right now. 

Before he knew it, he was being led around the penthouse, Mister Stark’s arm around his shoulders, keeping him close to the man’s side. It was pleasant- which was something, considering the teen didn’t usually like contact with people. But he could easily fall into Mister Stark’s warm embrace, or, even Pepper. 

He listened dutifully to everything being said. What each bedroom was used for, the kitchen, living room, bathrooms, each floor in the building, as well as where the Avenger’s used to stay. Then Mister Stark went on about how the lounge in the penthouse would be turned into a game room in the next few days, as well as decoration and anything Peter wanted for his own room right beside the little lounge. 

They went to the lab last, Peter paying close attention, but not really understanding what exactly the adults were speaking about. It was some kind of code that left him in the dark. 

“And, the lab,” the billionaire explained as he scanned his hand, “people with identification can reach me here, Pep, Happy, my friend Colonel Rhodes, and Pete. He likes to spend a lot of time here- y'know, with the internship at SI I briefed you about.” 

“Ah, yes. Peter... spends time here? We’re sure that’s... alright?” 

“Peter’s a smart boy,” Pepper answered, shooting him a smile, “he can hold his own down here.” 

Although Pepper spoke, Amanda’s curious eyes were only looking at the billionaire. Peter studied him as well too, he’d seen this look earlier, at the compound when he’d informed Peter that he had access to the lab. It was one of distress, and anxiety- but Mister Stark brushed it off after a couple seconds and grinned. 

“Pete’s good. He’s up to par with me, or well, maybe a bit below. Still have loads to learn, young grasshopper.” And Peter smiled at that, even giggled a little. And the grin on Mister Stark’s face was like none other he’d seen. Toothy and bright; real. 

“Alright, well, if you both think he’s alright to be in the lab, then that’s fine. He is a clever young man- straight A’s in school, isn’t that right, Peter?” Amanda turned to him. Peter ducked his head from Pepper and Tony as his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. 

“Yes, Ma’am.” 

“Y’know I expected nothing less from you, Kiddo,” Tony grinned, an air of pride filling around him. He’d known Peter would do great things, and it was just so much better that he’d actually get to see the kid succeed now. 

“Well, that appears to be everything I have to see, now we just need to go over a couple more things.” 

“Let’s move to the living room, Happy’s on his way up with everyone’s drinks.” Pepper explained, slipping her phone back into her pocket. 

“Perfect,” Amanda agreed. And then they were moving again; up the stairs, into the penthouse and sitting around the coffee table, waiting for Happy to arrive. When he did, he handed out everyone’s drinks, smiling more at Peter then everyone else. 

The teen glanced around, still perplexed by the idea that this was happening. Tony Stark wanted to foster him, _again_. Why? He hadn’t the slightest idea. He curled into the blanket he’d used last night, left hand clumsily clutching his hot chocolate, casted right hand used as a support, since he couldn’t grip anything. 

They continued to talk, each shooting him glancing every once and a while. But Peter just listened, not voicing any opinions, or adding comments. He actually just kind of stared off into space. 

“Well,” he was drawn from his thoughts by Amanda, “I supposed that’s about everything- we just need Peter’s consent, and a signature from Mister Stark, and I’ll be on my way.” 

And then everyone was looking at him, including Happy, who was stood at the elevator doors. 

“I uh, yes. This is... Yeah. Cool. Thank you, Mister Stark. This is great,” and his cheeks burned in embarrassment once more, but the adults simply smiled. So, even Peter cracked a small smile. 

“Good. Sign right here then, Mister Stark, and initial the two highlighted areas- yes, perfect.” She collected the papers, eyeing them before shuffling them into a pile and sliding them into Peter’s file, “congratulations, Mister Stark, it’s a boy.” Amanda teased. 

Tony tilted his head to look towards Peter, another real smile on his face, and Peter chuckled quietly at the words. She always did that, but he was never really... happy to hear the words. But this time, he was a little happy. 

Still utterly confused, but Mister Stark seemed like a good foster parent, so he’d see how things worked out. 

“I’ll be on my way then. The Beckett’s will be waiting for Peter to come collect his belongings, there’s a twenty-four-hour period before his possessions can be thrown away, so, as soon as possible would be best. Now, I must be off. Enjoy your new family, Peter.” 

He waved to Amanda as Mister Stark and Miss Potts walked her to the elevator, Happy smiling politely as he led her out, no doubt leading her to her car. 

When Amanda was gone, Tony strode to the couch and flopped down beside Peter. 

“God, that was longer than the first time,” the man huffed, “now, I’m thinking Mexican delivery for lunch and then you, Pep and Happy can head to your old foster home to collect your things, sound good, Pete?” 

“Why aren’t you coming?” Peter tilted his head. It wasn’t the question he really wanted to ask, but it slipped out anyways. 

“I’m not allowed, Pepper said so.” 

“He’s right, he’s not.” the woman agreed from the other side of the couch. Peter pretended to know what that was all about, shrugging and looking anywhere but the two adults. “Mexican sounds good though,” Pepper responded after a few seconds of silence. 

_Oh, right_ , he’d been asked a question, “yeah, sounds great.” 

“Perfect,” the billionaire grinned, “you hungry, Hap? On me.” 

“Sure, Boss.” the man gave a small smile, stepping back into the room and sitting beside Pepper. 

Peter glanced around, confused as ever, but a warm feeling filled his heart. What the hell had just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Peter's just kind of indifferent to the whole fostering situation, since like, it happened so fast and he's still processing things. I'm not sure if I'll put some anger behind it in the upcoming chapters, but it's a possibility. I don't know much about fostering (Google) but I'm pretty sure it takes a bit to be approved and everything, so confusion is the best emotion right now! Lol
> 
> That's all! Please remember to comment; they all make me super happy and motivated to keep going! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's long(er then usual) because it's a bunch of little events that I needed to write so I can get onto the more IronDad-y stuff. Ironing out the details now so I don't have to later!
> 
> Anywho~ hope you guys enjoy!

As everything was going down, Peter wasn’t too sure how to feel about it all. About Mister Stark getting pissed off, or, about Miss Potts cuddling him. About the _fostering_. He was once again being fostered by Tony Stark; genius, billionaire, philanthropist, and Iron Man. 

But now, the boy was confused, and sad, and, well, _angry_. He was pissed off. Mister Stark clearly hadn’t wanted him when he was nine- so what had changed in these past few years that now, _now_ the man would want him? 

Was it because he was smarter now? Just because he was older? Because he wasn’t just some dumb kid anymore? Maybe it was the whole Spider-Man thing? Or, was it simply guilt? _Oh, poor Peter Parker gets shoved around by his fosters- I'll be a superhero and save him, again. Maybe I’ll even keep him longer than a month this time!_

As hard as he tried, he just couldn’t understand why. After all these years, why would the man be trying to foster him again? He’d simply shipped Peter off, returned him to Amanda with all the fancy new clothes and toys he’d bought over the span of the month. He hadn’t wanted Peter. 

Tony Stark hadn’t wanted him. As sad as it sounded. 

He hadn’t wanted Peter when he needed him the most. It had been torture, laying in that hospital room. His head pounding, no one around but doctors and Amanda. He liked Amanda, but she really tried not to get attached to the children- so he got zero comfort from her. 

All he’d wanted was someone to hold him, cuddle him. 

No one did. He saw Miss Potts a couple times- or, he thinks he did. She brought him some toys and sat with him. Carefully ruffled his hair before leaving, but he saw Mister Stark not once. 

You’d think the man would come visit after he’d almost died in a car accident, whether he was done fostering or not- but, apparently not. If they’d bonded even a little in their month together. 

And then there was the years of being passed from foster family to foster family. He’d been to roughly twenty, at least, and maybe four of those were decent places. And, as he grew older, no one wanted him. Why take a teenager when there’s some cute little three-year-old that you could have instead? 

It was a shitty system. 

Some places were so bad Peter would run. Pack what little clothes he could fit into his backpack and take off. Be gone for a few nights, weeks- hell he’d been gone for a month one summer. 

At least he always had Ned. Ned and his family would take him in whenever he needed it. They knew his struggle (well, for the most part) and tried to help. Ned’s mom was a godsend, although he never told her he was on the run from a foster, he was sure she always knew. 

When he’d show up at their door late in the evening; starving and shaking to the bone, skin pale and sickly- she'd open the door wide, inviting him in and then proceeding to warm up some of the family’s dinner leftovers for him. 

He was so glad to have them. 

And they were always a backup, in case he needed out- but he just had this feeling that Mister Stark wouldn’t be like his other fosters. There was definitely some ulterior motive behind this fostering, but he just had no idea what. The billionaire wouldn’t just take in some kid for the hell of it, something was up. 

Plus, if by the way the man was spoiling him, and just how mad he’d been that Peter was hurt, he was bound to look out for the kid, at least a little. But there was still that small nagging thought that the man could just give him back again. He doesn’t know what he’d done the first time, but if it happened once, it could happen again. 

Peter hadn’t really emerged from his new bedroom in the Avenger’s Tower. 

It was a nice room, a plush queen-sized bed, a feather duvet that was like being pillowed in warm air. There was like six pillows on his bed, all plush and comfortable. The room was wide, a dresser set off to one side, a sturdy oak desk and a book shelf. There was a huge closet and an adjoining bathroom- which also adjoined to the lounge Mister stark had gone on about. 

The billionaire had given him a bunch of electronics- a brand new Starkphone, a laptop, and a Starkpad. The room already had a cool hologram Tv, like the one in the living room, and a second in the lounge room. 

Then, the man had given him free reign to buy whatever he wanted for his room and lounge. Peter had a credit card in his hand that could probably purchase a whole shopping mall if he tried- and he didn’t know what to do with it. 

Coming from families who needed to bring in a stranger for a little bit of extra income, he’d never really had luxury like this. Even when he was still living with his aunt and uncle, May was pretty sick and the medical treatment she was receiving almost took their apartment to cover the costs. Peter wouldn’t be surprised if some of that debt was following him around still. 

Later that first day, after Amanda had left, he, Pepper and Happy had gone to pay Peter’s most recent foster parents a visit, to collect his belongings. 

And that went about as well as the teen expected. The woman hugged him, sad to see him go, and he’d never forget the intense heat in her eyes as Pepper told her that her husband had broken Peter’s hand- cast still, despite his wrist being pretty much healed, evidence enough. 

The man had been pissed, growling curses under his breath as Pepper, Peter and his foster mom packed his clothes into one suitcase. 

Peter made sure to grab his blanket, as well as the small Iron Man plush he had from his tenth birthday. Ned’s mom had gifted it too him after the boy had been talking nonstop about how cool the man was. 

He hid those, of course, since he was a teenager, and not supposed to have baby things anymore- but sometimes he just needed a little bit of comfort, and both items worked wonders. 

He grabbed a couple of his other things; he didn’t have much anymore. He’d given his Legos he’d gotten from Mister Stark to some of the younger kids in a group foster home, and the clothes as well when he grew out of them. There was a good possibility that the suits he’d had were now on to their fourth or fifth little boy via the hand-me-down system. 

When he was all packed, Happy grabbed the suitcase, eyeing the room hesitantly before moving to take it to the car. 

“Bye, Peter. I’m really sorry this happened. I’ll miss you,” his foster mom had whispered to him when she pulled him into one final hug before they left. 

And he would miss her too. She was one of the few who actually liked him, cared about him. He knew she had no idea her husband was an asshole, and hoped she left him for something better. She deserved it. He didn’t voice any of this though, only whispered a soft ‘I’ll miss you too’ under his breath. 

Pepper wrapped an arm around his waist, leading him away. He cast a small smile over his shoulder at her, and she returned a small wave. 

After that, Peter hadn’t really spoken much. And, thankfully, Mister Stark and Miss Potts seemed to accept this. 

There was just so much going on in him mind. So many questions; so many searing thoughts. He was confused. He was sad to be leaving the woman. Mad at himself for letting a broken wrist get the better of him. He was a little pissed that this seemed normal to Mister Stark, and Miss Potts, despite how utterly torn Peter was between loving it all and mad that he’d suffered for years and was now back with the man. 

But, most of all, he was happy. His entire being was thrilled to be in the man’s penthouse. He was happy to be close to the billionaire, and as dumb as it sounded, there was this twisted pride tugging at his heart, squirming in delight that the billionaire had chosen him, not just once, but _twice_. 

Peter couldn’t really express his emotions as he sat on the crinkly paper on Doctor Cho’s examination table. Mister Stark was stood by him, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the cast. Peter was pretty sure his wrist was totally healed; he could move his fingers without spikes of pain and barely bend his wrist inside the cast. 

Cho agreed, and then she was cutting the stupid thing off. Mister Stark watched intently, almost as if he were waiting to jump into action if the woman accidentally cut him or something. But, without fail, the cast was removed and Peter could move his wrist. 

“Feels good,” he smiled at her, flexing his wrist and wiggling his fingers to prove his point. She examined it anyways, nodding to herself and finally discharging him, good as new. 

He holed himself up in his room after that, leaving only for mealtime. There was still a whole lot of adjusting he’d need to do to and everything before he’d start feeling comfortable in his surroundings. And hopefully, he could find some answers buried in the walls or something. 

Finally, Monday morning rolled around. He rolled himself out of bed with a sigh, then found himself snorting a laugh as he checked his texts to see a threat from Ned. He hadn’t said anything to Ned through texting, feeling like this should be a face to face conversation. Ned was going to shit his pants. 

He got ready for school quickly, tucking his Iron Man plush and blanket under his pillow in case anyone looked into the room. After glancing around his new room and grabbing his backpack, the teen made his way to the kitchen. 

Peter had paused, seeing Mister Stark leaning against the counter in the kitchen, nursing a mug of steaming coffee in his hands. The man dressed to impress; three-piece suit and cool looking sunglasses (even though they were inside). 

“Morning Kid, there’s toast on the table for you.” Peter looked down to where there was in fact four slices of toast sitting on a plate. Beside it, was butter and a jar of strawberry jam. 

“Uhm, thanks.” Peter gave him a shy smile. He lowered his bag to the ground and sat at the table, slowly reaching for the jam and spreading some on all the pieces. His nose crinkled as a thought came to him- or, he wasn’t sure what it was. He chewed slowly; it was like something he should know but couldn’t remember. The jam was tied into something, that much he knew. 

He brushed it off and continued eating. 

“Hurry up, you’ll be late for school. I’m driving you.” 

When the words registered in his brain, Peter choked on his mouthful of toast. He slammed his fist against his chest as he coughed, drawing in a shaky breath before croaking a shaky, “w-why?” 

“Uh, because Midtown is like an hour walk from here?” 

“I can... Spider-man?” Peter tried after steadying his breath. 

“Nope. I know Cho said your wrist is healed, but I still think you should take at least one more night before you attempt to use it to hold your weight up as you swing around the city.” Tony eyed the teen over the rim of his coffee mug before continuing, “besides Happy will be driving you to and from school, he’s just with Pepper today. We can iron out the details of when you’ll patrol and everything tonight or something.” 

The man took a sip, eyes taking a teasing light, “I mean, you’d know all this already if you’d left your room at all this weekend.” 

Peter’s cheeks flushed and he glanced at his plate. He had one piece left, but he was now too anxious to finish it. Tony Stark was going to be driving him to school in one of his fancy cars. Oh, god. People didn’t even really know he was a foster kid, and now, now he was going to be showing up with the billionaire superhero who was always talked about amongst the student body. 

Peter Parker was a nobody. 

“I’m finished,” Peter informed, a pinch of guilt making him look down at the lone piece of toast left. He’d always been scolded for wasting food. 

Tony eyed him for a minute before nodding. Peter blinked in surprised as the man picked up the piece of toast and took a bite, “alright, Kiddie, lets head out. School waits for no one. I, however, am already late, but I have more leeway at work- perks of owning the company.” Peter snorted a laugh as he followed the man who was still munching on the toast. 

The teenager was grateful the man chose one of his less flashy cars, and was happy that the windows were also tinted. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d explain Mister Stark driving him to school, and now, hopefully he wouldn’t have too. 

The first bit of the car ride was quiet, then Peter remembered he needed to talk to Ned, “Hey, uh, Mister Stark?” 

“Hm?” the billionaire glanced over in acknowledgement before returning his gaze to the road. 

“Do you think I could go to my friend’s house after school? I uh, haven’t seen him in a while and he really wants to build this new Lego set he got with me.” 

“I have to go to the school this afternoon, and I’d like you to show me around, actually. Sorry, Kid, maybe tomorrow?” 

“Okay- w-wait? What? You're... you’re going _into_ the school?” 

“How else would you like me to switch out who your guardian is? Don’t want them calling that asshole to come pick you up if you’ve got a tummy ache or somethin’,” the billionaire sent him a teasing smile. 

“No one goes to the nurse for a tummy ache, Mister Stark- an upset stomach, maybe.” Peter rolled his eyes, a small smile lifting to his face. “Can we do it... after school’s cleared out? I mean... n-not that I don’t want people to know- but like... I don’t know-” 

“Sure, Kid. When’s that?” 

“Students are gone usually right after the bell, and there aren’t any extracurricular activities Monday. I can tell the school nurse and principal that my guardian would like a meeting and they’ll wait. They’re the only two who know I’m a foster kid, so it’s not unusual for me to ask for a meeting and not the parent in question.” Peter explained, silently thankful the man had agreed. 

“So, like five then? You sure you wanna wait around school for an hour and a half?” 

“Yes! I uh, yeah. My friend’ll probably sit with me- or, or if not, I have homework I can do.” 

“Alright,” Tony relented, “I’ll text you when I’m in the parking lot then and you can come find me.” 

“Sure, yeah! Perfect, Mister Stark, thank you!” By the time they’d reached an agreement, Tony was pulling up in the school drop off lane. Peter swallowed down his fear, flashing the man a smile and rushing a hurried thank you over his shoulder as he escaped the car. 

No one seemed to notice him getting dropped off- and if they did, no one really cared any more than they did when Happy picked him up in his fancy Audi a while back. 

School went on like usual. Peter stepped into the office to ask to speak with the principal, and the man agreed to the meeting, promising to inform the school nurse as well. 

Peter only grinned when Ned asked how his weekend at Mister Stark’s went, instead of answering, inviting the boy to wait with him after school. 

They sat in the library after the final bell ended, books were spread around them, both preparing for the History test on Wednesday. 

“So, uh, what are we waiting for exactly?” Ned questioned, not looking up from his textbook. 

“You’ll see. Trust me, man, you’ll wanna see this.” 

“Okay, I trust you, but my mom wants me home by six at the latest. She’s making tacos.” 

“Yeah, okay,” Peter hummed, checking his phone to see the text he’d been both waiting for and dreading. He replied quickly, telling his new foster parent he needed to pack up his book. “Okay, the waiting’s over, pack up and try and keep yourself under control,” Peter gave his friend a nervous, lopsided smile as he slid his own text books into his backpack. 

Ned followed his lead, and when both were packed up, Peter led them to the doors by the parking lot. 

“You, uh, wait here. The doors are locked now, and I need to get back in.” 

“Peter...” 

“Trust me!” Peter laughed over his shoulder as the door shut behind him. 

Mister Stark’s sports car stood out like a sore thumb amongst the teacher’s cars. The man got out of the car when he saw Peter, and the boy couldn’t help but smile. Even if he still wasn’t sure how he was supposed to be feeling or acting about the whole fostering mess, it was cool to see a man like Tony Stark showing up at school for him. 

“Hey, kid.” The billionaire greeted with a smile, hand falling onto Peter’s shoulder. 

“Hey, uh, my friends got the door for us, so we don’t need to buzz in at the office.” 

“Friend huh, is it that Ted guy who cracked my codes, or someone else?” Tony tilted his head, Peter couldn’t decipher whether the man was angry or teasing, but decided to roll with it. 

“It’s Ned, and he’s a big fan, so, please be nice...” 

“When aren’t I nice?” the man eyed the boy, “been talking to Pepper?” Peter laughed, not answering and leading the man inside. 

Peter smirked as Ned’s eyes widened and he quickly moved on numb legs to push the door open, “M-mister Tony Stark Sir... I- uh, I’m a b-big fan, Sir!” 

“You weren’t kidding,” Tony muttered under his breath to his kid before eyeing the second one, “Ted, nice to meet ya, Pete’s told me all about you.” 

“Y-yes! Ted,” Ned glanced at Peter, mouthing an excited ‘that’s me’ to Peter before his eyes focused on the billionaire again, “thank you, Sir! It’s amazing to meet you too.” 

“You know his name’s Ned,” Peter huffed, pushing the man gently in a joking manner. Ned watched with wide eyes as Peter did it, jaw dropping. 

“Right, uh, the office?” the billionaire titled his head, small smile as he took in Peter’s flustered state. 

“Oh, yeah,” Peter nodded, leading his foster down the hall, only pausing momentarily when he noticed Ned frozen in spot. “C’mon, Ned,” Peter laughed and in seconds his friend was by his side, casting nervous looks at the billionaire (who pretended not to notice). 

Peter swallowed when he noticed the nurse and the principal already sitting in the principal’s office. No other office staff was around, and this was about as confidential as the school got. The door was slightly ajar, so Mister Stark knocked, then pushed the door open. 

“Good evening,” Tony greeted. Peter kind of envied the way the man could go from teasing him to business pleasant at the snap of your fingers- or in the case the three seconds it took to push the door open. 

“Mister Stark?” Principal Morita greeted, confused. The nurse glanced up in confusion as well. 

“Um, this is my new foster father,” Peter made the awkward introductions, gesturing to the billionaire. 

“Hi, yes. We’re keeping this on the down-low, and I’d appreciate it if you two could keep this strictly between everyone present on this office.” The words rolled off the billionaire’s tongue smoothly, and he smiled easily into the room. “With who I am, and what people are willing to do to get close to me, safety and all, you know.” 

“Y-yes, of course. Our student’s safety is our number one concern here,” principal Morita replied, gesturing to the last remaining seat in the office. The nurse nodded in agreement, carefully studying the billionaire. 

“Perfect,” Tony grinned, dropping into the seat with an air of elegance, “we just wanted to get everything cleared up so if he runs into any problems the right person gets notified." 

“Of course,” the principal agreed. 

Peter and Ned sat quietly while the adults talked things out. Peter’s primary guardian was Tony, which wasn’t a surprise, then Pepper as his secondary guardian- and Happy was a last resort if neither could be reached. Peter almost laughed as Mister Stark had both the principal and the nurse sworn into secrecy. 

Peter learned that he was no longer allowed to be handing any important paperwork with Tony’s name on it to anyone else other than the nurse or Mister Morita, the principal then showed him a box the secretaries use when the principal is busy or in a meeting, and that’s where he was to hand anything like permission forms or things that needed signatures. 

“Our school is a safe place, and we value each student. We’re happy you’ve decided to keep Mister Parker here with us, please, if you have any concerns feel free to email either of us.” 

“Sure,” Mister Stark waved him off. “If that’s all?” 

“Yes, yes. That’s everything we need. We’ll see you tomorrow boys, have a good night, Mister Stark.” Mister Morita smiled. 

“Have a good night,” Ned sent the two a small wave, and Peter did the same before the billionaire ushered the two boys out. 

“How’s about we drop Ted off and then you and I meet Pep for dinner?” Tony questioned, glancing back at the best friends. 

Ned’s eyes were wide, nodding enthusiastically as Peter vocalized his friend's frantic gestures, “sounds great.” Then, as if he’d tasted something sour, Peter continued, “and it’s Ned, Mister Stark.” 

When the three were finally in the car, Ned’s eyes glossing over everything Peter spoke up, using his friend to his advantage, “so, it's cool if I head to Ned’s tomorrow after school? His mom’s always got cookies on Tuesday, it’s when we have a study session.” Peter lied, glancing back at Ned who snapped his jaw closed and quickly nodded. They really needed to talk about things, but Friday was usually their hang out day. Friday was too long away though. 

“Yeah, uh, we’ve been doing it since we met!” Ned narrowed his eyes at his friend, but lied for him. 

“Sure,” Tony agreed, eyeing the two curiously, “someone’ll pick you up at like eight or something." Peter grinned. It was easier than expected, and later then he expected as well. 

“Awesome, thanks, Mister Stark!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” the billionaire snorted, “now, which street does Ted live on?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Already working on the next chapter! Once again comments are amazing and every single one is appreciated! (Also ideas and prompts you wanna see in this, or just in general, are more than welcome!)
> 
> Sorry about the random scene switching in this as well, hopefully it's not confusing :3  
> Now, I hope to see you next update! Thanks for taking the time to read!
> 
> Also, next chapter is finished, so expect that in the next few days! :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Back with this chapter, just like I promise.  
> It's short, I know. But it's pretty much just a filler chapter (another chapter I started and couldn't remember where it was going). It's basically just our favorite boys talking with their respective besties. And Peter meeting Rhodey because why not. 
> 
> Please enjoy! :D

“You’re being fostered by Iron Man!” is the first thing Ned says to Peter when the two are safely hidden in the older boy’s bedroom. Ned had looked like he was about to burst the whole day at school, eyes shifting to Peter every couple of seconds. Peter was sure his best friend had been biting his tongue to keep his excitement to himself, and the thought almost made him laugh. 

“Shh!” Peter shushed halfheartedly, rolling his eyes. Ned's apartment was empty. His mom worked until four, his brother was in an afterschool program until his mom could pick him up and his father on a business trip. 

“No, Peter, you live with Tony Stark!” Ned grinned, bouncing on his feet as Peter flopped onto the bed. 

“Yeah, c’mon, man, it’s no big deal...” 

“No big deal? Peter you sleep in the same house as Iron Man!” 

“Ned, that sounds weird.” Peter groaned, pulling the pillow over his face, “you’re making this weirder than it already is.” 

“Peter! Tony Stark knows who I am!” Ned exclaimed, “I mean like, how many teenagers can say that? Like, _oh, yeah, Tony freakin’ Stark knows me_.” 

“Ned, he called you Ted the whole time,” the smaller boy deadpanned. 

“Yeah, but he was so close to my name! I’ve never been more compelled to change my name; think I can pull Ted off? I mean, like- wait, do you think my mom would care? It’s only one letter, right?” 

“Yes, Ned!” Peter groaned, exasperated, “your mom would totally care if you changed your name to Ted because Tony Stark called you it.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Ned nodded solemnly, “and, I think he meant it as an endearing nickname, y’know? That’s special.” 

“Sure,” Peter sighed, letting his friend believe what he pleased, “of course he meant it as an endearing nickname.” 

When Ned grinned at Peter’s sarcasm, the younger couldn’t help but laugh. 

“So, what was all that lying about, in the car with Mister Stark? We don’t usually hang out today.” 

“I just wanted to talk. I could’ve called, but Friday’s at the house and I’m pretty sure she’s like always watching and listening-” 

“Friday?” 

“Oh, Mister Stark’s artificial intelligence. She’s super cool, like Siri, but like one-hundred times better. You’ll probably get to meet her sometime- when Mister Stark gets more comfortable and allows me to invite people over.” 

“I can go to Tony Stark’s house-” 

“Ned, cool it. Seriously, he won’t let you come back if you can’t be a normal human being.” 

“Right, sorry. Continue.” 

“So, like, Mister Stark knows about Spider-Man, and stuff, so we talked last night after dropping you off and he said I can do patrolling as long as I stay caught up in school. But, since he knows, I don’t have to be sneaking around which is cool and bad at the same time. I can’t be sneaking around because like, he’s got a Spider-Man curfew-” 

“Which is?” 

“Midnight,” Peter groaned, “I tried to convince him I could be out later, but he was dead set on it. He also said I can only be out on patrol three weekdays and one weekend day. And my curfew’s three AM on weekends. Anyways, Friday will totally tattle on me, if I sneak out- she's not as cool as Karen in that sense.” 

“Dude, maybe this is for the better, you know? You’re out as Spider-Man a lot, and I know you sleep when you’re here, but did you ever sleep at your foster home?” 

“Uh, not really.” Peter shoot his head. “People need Spider-Man, Ned. What if someone gets killed or something, and I could’ve stopped it?” 

“I know,” Ned gave a small smile, “but people need Peter Parker too, I think the ground rules Mister Stark set seem pretty fair- my curfew’s still nine, unless it’s Friday or the weekends and then I can maybe push it till eleven.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” Peter agreed. 

“So, how’re you holding up; super cool foster parent aside.” 

“Um, I don’t really know,” Peter turned his head to look at his friend, “it’s weird, y’know? Like he knows me more then I know him. I really wish I could remember, Ned. There’s this like look in his eyes and I can’t explain it.” 

Ned made a noise of agreement, so Peter continued. 

“He’s still keeping secrets, I can tell. There's something no one will tell me- and I thought it was that whole idea that he’d fostered me when I was little, but there’s clearly something more. They aren’t telling me something, and it’s frustrating, y’know?” 

“Yeah, my parents don’t tell me a lot of things either,” Ned shrugged. 

“A little different here, Ned.” Peter snorted at his friend’s blatant admission. 

“Right,” Ned gave a small embarrassed laugh. 

“I mean like I’m mad at him- this all moved way too fast, but I’m thankful too, and happy, and thrilled that he wants me again- but, for how long? If he’s already given me back once, what’s stopping him from doing it again? I don’t even remember that month, so I have no idea what I did to piss him off enough to send me back.” 

"Yeah, I see that," Ned nodded, "you're right to be mad, I mean, I'd be pissed off as well if it were me in your shoes. It was a dick-ish move to take you in for a month and then just give you back. I think you should probably tell him he fucked up, he should know just what his choices it did to you." The older boy paused for a second before continuing, "but like, there could also be some reason for him not telling you, and blocking everything off. Something that warrants him to do what he did- not that there's anything that could make it a decent human decision to just get rid of a foster kid, but like, you don't really know..." 

"How would I even bring that up into conversation? He's _Iron Man_ , Ned. He's a genius, there's bound to be some background information stored somewhere that made his decision to give me back logical. I mean, he probably _did_ have his reasons, but, like, I was just this little kid, you know?" Peter took a steadying breath, eyes growing wet as he continued, "I want to hate him for doing it, I want to- but _I can't_. I can't hate him. I know he was a good foster parent. I know he was amazing with me, I still, like, I still feel it, he was a good parent. He really liked me, Ned. I still, even though I don't remember, it still feels like there's this... I don't know, this invisible tether or something connecting us- It's hard to explain." 

Peter gave a heavy sigh, reaching up to dry wash his face. "He took care of me, I can feel that. I know he did, I know he was a good foster father- I mean, he bought me all those cool clothes and toys and stuff, and he's even been taking care of me- like, you remember that field trip to the Statue of Liberty, and how Amanda just randomly gave me that spending money?" 

Ned paused, remembering back before nodding. 

"Mister Stark gave me it. He's been taking care of me, and I didn't even know. Like, the only reason I could even take the entrance exam at Midtown was because Mister Stark paid the fees. He helped me into the school of my dreams, Ned. I've wanted to go to Midtown since I was old enough to start taking classes- I thought I was just lucky- you know a change from my usually Parker luck, but he's been... watching and supporting me from the sidelines, and it just doesn't make any fucking sense. He willingly handed me back to Amanda, but wants to make sure I'm taken care of," Peter groaned, looking up momentarily before glancing back at his friend, "he's really trying, Ned. I mean, he's so enthusiastic about being my guardian- and Pepper too. They're just so happy- and I, I just kind of forget what happened when I was little, it's just an easy environment. I like it at Mister Stark's penthouse. It's nice, and they're nice and it's... the closest I've had to parents since Ben and May... But he gave me back." 

"I really think you should talk to him-" 

"He's not going to give me anything, Ned. He would've already if he was going too. He gets, like, all defensive and brushes it off when ever I so much as bring him fostering me up." Peter explained, "if I want answers I'm going to have to find them myself." 

"You're going to snoop in Mister Stark's house?" Ned's jaw dropped, instantly knowing exactly what his best friend was thinking. Peter gave a cautious nod- unsure whether his friend was going to reprimand him or be on board, "Badass! That's so cool, and I mean, you live there too now, so..." 

"Yeah," Peter gave a small smile, "I just... I need to know. I need to understand why he did what he did before I can actually forgive him. Before I can... I don't know, be happy with him. There's just so many secrets for this to be a healthy fostering relationship, as much as Mister Stark, and I, as much as we want it to be." 

“Yeah...” Ned floundered, Peter knew his friend had no idea what to say, and Peter himself didn’t know either. 

“It’s just messed up,” the smaller teen continued, climbing the bunkbed ladder, “it’ll be fine I’m sure. Mister Stark seems like a good guy, and plus there's the whole Iron Man thing, I’m sure he’ll keep me safe.” 

“Yeah, I mean, if the way he was looking at you in the principal’s office is anything to go off. He looked like he would’ve had a throw-down with both the principal and nurse if they even so much as looked at you wrong.” 

“No way,” Peter snorted. 

“Oh, yeah,” Ned laughed, “I was scared he was going to just grab you and run away from the office.” 

Ned laughed, and Peter chuckled quietly; heart swelling with warmth. Peter heard the click of the main door, and then the sound of footsteps. 

“Ned! We’re home!” Ned’s mom called, and then there was the sound of his little brother turning on the TV in the living room. 

“Okay, Mom! Peter’s here, by the way!” Ned shouted to his mom, giving his friend a smile. 

“Oh, hi, Pete!” 

“Hi, Mrs. Leeds!” Peter shouted a reply. “We should actually probably study for that test tomorrow.” Peter tilted his head, shutting down any further talk about Spider-Man or Tony Stark. 

“Yeah,” Ned sighed heavily, “I guess so.” 

\---- 

“So, you’re telling me that Peter, who you fostered six years ago, that little kid who almost killed himself in your lab by accident because he outsmarted me, and your tech- is back in your life, and you’re fostering him _again_?” 

“Well, _Honeybear_ , when you put it like that, it sounds crazy.” Tony snorted, adjusting Rhodey’s prosthetic braces. 

“It _is_ crazy, Tony.” Rhodey gaped at the man, “giving that boy back practically _ruined_ you. I’ve known you for a long, long time and that’s the most heartbroken I’ve ever seen you.” 

“Well, I’ve got him back now,” the billionaire shrugged, “look, I didn’t invite you here to judge my life choices.” 

“I mean, technically you didn’t invite me at all, I just show up and you don’t have the heart to kick me out. Plus, I needed adjustments.” 

“Potato, pa-tah-to,” Tony huffed, he stood to his full height, hand on his friend’s shoulder, “take it for a walk, Rhodes, let’s see it.” 

The man rolled his eyes, brushing off Tony’s hand and taking a couple steps, “better,” he nodded. 

“Great.” Tony grinned, dropping his tools onto the table. “Now, Pete’s going to be home soon, Happy’s bringing him around.” 

“Can I meet him?” Rhodey questioned, “well, meet him again.” 

Tony hesitated. He was still keeping him in the dark about Peter’s alter-ego. It was late, just after seven, so that could be a solid excuse to usher the man out if he started asking too many questions. 

“Yeah, sure. Pete’s a bit shy now, had it rough- so keep it to a minimum of what you’re asking him.” 

“Sure, Tony.” Rhodey agreed, nodding his head easily. 

The two sat in the lab talking for a while longer, and then the billionaire heard someone trekking down the stairs to the lab. The footsteps were too heavy (and quick) to be Pepper, so the man instantly knew it was Peter. 

Peter seemed so focused on entering the lab, he failed to notice the second body at the desk. 

“Mister Stark, I was at Ned’s house and there’s this new formula for the w-” 

“Woahhh,” the billionaire butted in, standing quickly and rushing to the teen, “hey, Pete, I ever tell you about my good friend, Platypus?” 

At that, the teen’s head snapped up, and his eyes widened, mouth falling agape, “Iron Patrio- I mean, Colonel Rhodes- I, uh I’m a big fan...” 

Tony pouted, “hey, don’t do that- it goes straight to his head.” 

“Hey, if one of us doesn’t need more of an ego inflation, it’s totally you.” 

“I take offence to that,” the billionaire scoffed. “Any who, Pete, Rhodey; Rhodey, Pete- there, introductions complete.” 

“Mhm,” the other man rolled his eyes sarcastically, “hi, Peter. I know you don’t remember me, but you can call me Rhodey- none of that Iron Patriot or Colonel Rhodes stuff, alright?” 

“Y-yes, uh, okay, Rhodey-” 

“It’s that easy? You’ve been calling me Mister Stark for months now!” the billionaire teased, “okay, Peter, you can call me Tony- I'd like it, in fact-” 

The kid gave a sickly-sweet smile, tilting his head as he spoke, “of course, Mister Stark.” 

“You’re a little shit,” the man narrowed his eyes, focusing on halfheartedly organizing the tools spread along the table. Peter laughed, stepping forwards and dropping his forehead against the man’s shoulder. 

“Sorry,” Peter muttered, but the man knew he was definitely not sorry. 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

“N’awe, Tones, look at you,” Rhodey teased. Peter, remembering there was someone else in the lab, took a step back and grinned sheepishly at the men. 

“I uh, I’ll leave you alone now, I didn't know you had company over. Do you know where Miss Potts is?” Peter tilted his head. 

“She should be upstairs,” Tony waved the boy off, biting back the words to tell Peter to stay. No matter how much he wanted the boy with him, having Peter too close to Rhodey could raise secrets about someone’s secret identity, “last I saw her she was in the living room.” 

“Okay, thanks!” 

Tony watched the kid head up the stairs and turned to face his friend. Rhodey had a knowing grin on his face, and his eyes were bright in what could only be a teasing light. 

“So, kid’s back and so is domestic Tony?” the man laughed, “and I thought Pepper had you whipped.” 

Tony snorted, “yeah, yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> Next chapter is already a work in progress, and it's one of my favorite chapters I've written so far, and I think I'll be playing off of _Spider-Man: Homecoming_ in the chapters after that, so get ready for that! I've got some good things planned for that!
> 
> Hope to see you all next chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again!
> 
> I really like this chapter. Some insight on both Peter and Tony and, of course, angst and fluff because that's what I do. 
> 
> I hope you guys like this one as much as I do!  
> Enjoy~

It was Saturday, maybe two weeks after moving in with Mister Stark. 

It was honestly the most content Peter had been with a foster parent- like ever. There was just this pull about the man, that had Peter following him around and seeking him out. 

Why he liked the man so much, he didn’t know. Didn’t have any words for the invisible pull he felt towards the man. Tony Stark radiated comfort, and protection- and Peter was starting to think there was something more than just the fact that the man was Iron Man. 

Ned had a starstruck outlook on Tony Stark, and so did most of the kids he talked to. They trusted Tony and the Avengers to keep them safe, like they’d done so many times before. 

But there was just something more in Peter’s connection to the man. 

As hard as Peter tried to keep himself away, he always found himself wondering into the man’s lab to sit with him and help him work. 

It was confusing. 

And then there was the fact that Mister Stark was just as into the whole fostering thing. The man was... parenting him? Pepper as well. This was the closest Peter had had to actual parents since Ben and May. They asked about his day. They gave him little parental like gestures, like; hair ruffles, shoulder pats, forehead kisses (Pepper). 

Tony Stark was also, believe it or not, a stickler for curfew. Peter was living it, and it was still hard to imagine Tony Stark being so... domestic. 

Today was one of the rare days where both Mister Stark and Miss Potts were busy at SI. Meetings booked for most of the day. Which, left Peter home to himself. 

But he didn’t not have anything to do- oh no, there was many, many parcels delivered, all containing items that were pretty much a surprise to him. 

The man had practically forced Peter to pick out things for his room. Or, well, the man would flash pictures at Peter while the three of them were watching TV, and if Peter showed even a smidge of interest, the billionaire would add it to cart. 

Peter, of course, didn’t know this until after the man had ordered over _two thousand dollars'_ worth of... well, of everything. 

How the hell was Peter supposed to know that was the man’s intention? He’d just assumed the billionaire was being weird or something, and Pepper barely batted an eye in their direction- so he assumed it was just Tony being Tony. 

So, the teen stared at a bunch of packages; multiple sizes and all contents unknown. 

The pile was high in his bedroom, so, with a sigh, the boy shook his head and grabbed the first package, tearing it open. 

This continued for hours, until the pile was replaced by another of just wrapping and empty boxes. 

The billionaire had really out done himself. 

The contents of the pile on his bed were a heaping mess of everything. There was: clothes, Legos, trinkets, Star Wars collectibles (totally cool), posters, rugs, gaming consoles, bed sets (multiple), shoes, books and even a couple stuffed toys. 

Peter set to work on his room first, laying out one of the rugs and arranging the trinkets and books on his bookshelf and across his desk. He made his bed with one of the new bed sets (and crawled in for a test, which was like heaven). Peter tried on the shoes, grimacing at how much they must’ve costed. 

He carried the gaming consoles into the lounge room and set them on the sectional couch already in the room. 

Back in his room, Peter opened the closet and was momentarily confused by the two boxes stacked perfectly off to the far end. 

He hadn’t been in the closet yet, instead being lazy and living out of his suitcase and the dresser. None of his clothes really needed to be hung up, so there really wasn’t a point for him to look in the closet. 

Peter stared at the stack, biting his lip as he grabbed the first one, on top of the stack and carried it out to the bed. He returned for the other, picking it up as well and depositing it on the bed beside the first. This box made noise, and Peter was instantly curious about its contents. 

Peter debated opening the boxes, they weren’t his- but they were in his room. Could it really be important if it was shoved in the back of a guest room? Probably nothing special. 

The teen shrugged, opening the first box slowly. 

He tilted his head at the contents of the box. It was... children’s clothes? Little boy’s clothes. Why did Mister Stark have kid's clothes buried in the back of one of his guest room’s closet. 

He was almost afraid to touch them. There was this weird feeling in his chest, but his Spidey-sense wasn’t going off, so there wasn’t any immediate danger. He picked up the first couple articles of clothes, laying them out on the bed and unfolding them. He unfolded a small t-shirt and tilted his head at it. 

They smelt familiar. The teen lifted the article to his nose and sucked in a deep breath. The shirt, despite however long it had been buried in a box smelt of... what Peter could only describe as home. 

A familiar scent, something he knew- but, why did he know it? Why were these random clothes making him feel warm and fuzzy? 

He dug deeper in the box, pulling all the clothes out, and examining everything closely. Some of the clothes, he could... maybe remember some of them. He thinks he can remember them. Are these... are they his? _Were_ they his? But Mister Stark had sent him back with all his clothes, so... why? 

With a distraught sigh, Peter moved on to the second box. He opened this one faster, tearing the packing tape holding it shut and flipping the flaps open. 

Toys. 

The second box contained toys. 

Legos, trains, RC cars. Hot wheels. 

Mister Stark had a box of toys in the closet. 

Multiple little toys, but what stood out was a dinosaur. 

A Lego dinosaur. Why did he remember this toy? He _knew_ this toy. Had felt the Legos in his hands before. Played with it, he knew that much. 

_‘Why don’t you go up to your room and grab your Lego Dino to show them?’_

_‘Yeah!’_

Peter lifted a hand to his head, groaning as a shock of pain shot though his brain. Nothing made any sense. He knew that dinosaur. He knew it, but he didn’t at the same time. 

Peter set the dinosaur on his desk, curling his nose up at it. He loaded all the clothes back into the first box- the familiar scent was suddenly too strong, demanding attention and intensifying his already pounding headache. He closed up the box of toys too, stacking the boxes in the corner of his room. 

The teen flopped down on his bed, eyeing the dinosaur- but another intense thrum of pain had him squeezing his eyes shut. 

_‘You’re lucky you are cute.’_

\---- 

Tony was completely drained after his last meeting of the day. He pitied Pepper, who still had an hour and a bit until she would be done for the day. 

Friday brought him up to the penthouse, where he was surprised to see the room looking untouched. Peter had been alone all day, so he’d at least assumed the kid would’ve watched TV or something in the living room, but apparently not. 

“Pete?” the billionaire questioned, stepping into the room before turning to walk down the hall. He knocked on Peter’s door, waiting quietly. 

When he got a grunt of a response, the man pushed the door open and took in the view. Peter’s floor was covered in wrapping and boxes. The room was starting to look more like a teen’s bedroom then a guest bedroom, and Tony’s heart filled with joy. 

That, of course, was short lived when his eyes fell on the teen. Peter’s eyebrows were furrowed together, and his face was one of agony. 

“You alright, kiddo?” Tony stepped into the room, unsure if he should be checking for a fever or asking more questions. 

“Yeah...” Peter hummed, eyes shifting to the man before focusing on the desk again, “just a killer headache.” 

The man opened his mouth to offer fetching some super-kid Tylenol, when his eyes followed the boy’s intense stare to his desk. 

Dread filled Tony’s body as his eyes focused on that stupid fucking dinosaur, who stared right back at him. He swallowed, scared of the boy’s reaction. _How?_

“What’s that?” Tony asked as if he didn’t know, eyes locked on the toy Peter used to carry around everywhere. 

“Just a toy I found.” 

“Where? I don’t remember ordering anything like that.” _At least in the last six years_. 

Peter’s head tilted and his eyes fell onto something in the corner of the room. 

A breath left Tony as his eyes fell on the two boxes, he knew all too well. He’d completely forgotten they were in the closet. The clothes, Peter had managed to outgrow in the month he’d lived with Tony, and the man simply hadn’t had the heart to throw them away or donate them after he no longer had the kid. 

The toys had been some of the ones Peter didn’t use as often as the ones he had packed up to send back with the boy. The kid had way too many toys to just unload into someone else’s house, so he had packed up what he remembered the kid playing with the most whenever he’d check in on him. 

The Lego dinosaur, however, had been one of Peter’s absolute favorites. The first thing the kid had gotten when he moved in. Peter had loved it, carrying it around with him and showing it to anyone who would listen. 

Tony had spent many a night in the lab, turning back to watch Peter play with the stupid thing on the floor behind him, or to see him fast asleep with his fingers curled around one of its legs or its tail. 

The stupid piece of plastic had sat on his desk for months after Peter was returned to his previous life, unconcerned of what and who he was leaving behind. Tony simply couldn’t have parted with it. It held too much meaning to him. That dinosaur had seen him at his worst, drunk and depressed. Its plastic eyes staring judgmentally as he wallowed in self-hatred, just so tired of _everything_. It had watched him deteriorate faster than he could pretend to build himself back up. 

The dinosaur had been the last of Peter he had. 

It had only been boxed away after Pepper begged him to get rid of it. Cried to him that it was unhealthy and he couldn’t get better if he was constantly staring at the only thing of meaning he had left of the kid who had unintentionally broken his heart. 

The billionaire dragged his attention from the boxes, positive his face was showing every single emotion passing through his body. Peter eyed him with an intense curiosity, face scrunching up in pain. 

“I-” Tony Stark was rendered speechless very little. Only a handful of times had the man not known what to say, and this was definitely the top of the list. “I... I forgot those were in there.” He spoke slowly, mouth dry and tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth as he struggled to piece together his words, “sorry, Kiddo.” 

“Whose are they?” Peter asked before the billionaire could make a move for the door. To lock himself away in the safety of his lab and feel completely destroyed with just the thoughts and feelings surfacing of what he’d done to the poor kid. 

“They’re...” Tony swallowed, biting the inside of his lip as he finally, oh so slowly, turned to the boy who was now sitting up in his bed with interest- headache momentarily forgotten. “Yours. They’re yours.” 

“Mine?” the word was quiet, but Tony heard it. He heard the confusion laced in Peter’s voice. Because Peter didn’t remember. He didn’t remember the month. He didn’t remember the dinosaur. He didn’t remember Tony. 

“This... when you were staying with me for that, that stupid _publicity stunt_.... this was your bedroom.” Tony watched the boy, feeling the emotions being expressed on the boy’s face in himself as he continued, “the clothes, you, uh, outgrew them. While you were here and the toys... there were just too many to send back with you.” 

His words were slow and tore his throat apart. His head was fuzzy with anxiety and if he wasn’t careful in this moment, he’d find himself in one hell of an anxiety attack. 

“Why’d you keep them?” Peter asked, biting his tongue to keep himself from continuing with _‘when you didn’t keep me’_. 

Peter couldn't help but notice that Mister Stark looked... _wrecked_. He looked like he’d rather be doing anything else in the world then be having this conversation, and it was confusing. Peter was so fucking confused. 

“Forgot they were in here.” Tony’s voice was quiet. It was kind of the truth- he had forgotten they were in there. But he wasn’t going to admit the real reason being that he physically _couldn’t_ have gotten rid of them- that he wouldn’t _let_ anyone get rid of the items that had once belonged to Peter. “I can... move them if you want-” 

“No!” Peter yelped, then lifted his hands to cradle his forehead, a pained gasp left him, and Tony’s eyebrows furrowed in concern, “I like them. They can stay... Please.” 

“If you’re sure,” the billionaire eyed him. “Headache that bad?” 

“Y-yeah,” Peter groaned. “Too bright.” 

“Friday, lights to ten percent,” the lights dimmed immediately, “sounds like a migraine, kiddo.” The man’s voice was sympathetic, he’d had more than his fair share of them. 

“Yeah,” Peter hissed painfully through his teeth, “and sensory overload, I guess.” 

“Shit, Kid.” the billionaire frowned, “you get changed into some pajamas, I’ll go grab some enhancement-proof Tylenol for you.” 

Tony left the room, shutting the door quietly behind himself. He let out a shuttered breath, hand reaching to clutch at his rapidly beating heart. He took off quickly to his lab, making a beeline for one of his desks. He pulled open a drawer that contained all his medications, as well as the ones he’d developed for people like Steve, Bruce and Peter over the years. 

He grabbed the pill bottle, figuring the teen would be able to handle the bottle. He was fifteen after all, he shouldn’t need to seek someone out for some headache relief. 

The man made a pit stop in the kitchen to grab a face cloth, running it under cool water, then taking a bottle of Gatorade out of the fridge. He wasn’t sure if Peter would want it, but he’d probably need the electrolytes. 

He was pleasantly surprised to see Peter had followed his instructions, and was cuddled in his bed. The duvet was pulled up to his chest, and the man’s heart thudded in glee at seeing the familiar pale green blanket clutched in the teenager’s hand. 

“Hey, Pete, I got the Tylenol. You want some Gatorade to help em’ go down?” The billionaire knocked two pills into his hand from the bottle and dropped them into the boy’s outstretched hand. Peter didn’t open his eyes, but transferred the pills to his left hand before holding his hand out again with a sad whimper. Tony smiled lightly as he cracked the seal on the Gatorade, keeping the lid for himself and handing the bottle to Peter. 

“Thank you.” Peter’s voice was quiet as he passed the drink back. He fell back into his pillows. 

Tony set the drink and pill bottle on the nightstand before reaching over to settle the cloth over the boy’s forehead, explaining his motives to the boy as he did so, “this helps me sometimes, it might help you too. I’ve never had sensory overload and a migraine at the same time, but I can’t imagine it would be pleasant.” 

Peter gave a little sigh of relief at the coolness of the cloth and sunk deeper into the covers. 

“Right,” Tony cleared his throat, standing to full height. The boy was taken care of, and staying just felt like an invasion of privacy, “I’ll leave you too it-” 

A hand shot out and curled into the fabric of his suit jacket, and Tony held his breath, “please don’t go.” 

“Alright,” Tony said softly, swallowing down his own anxiety. He watched Peter shift over in his bed, making room on the side, then opening his eyes into slivers and staring at the man with a pleading look. 

Tony stared for a second before slowly stripping off his suit jacket. He lowered himself on the edge of the bed, back against the headboard. He sat in silence for a second, before reaching over to adjust the cloth over the boy’s head. When he was finished, he settled his fingers against the boy’s head to absentmindedly trail through his soft hair. He only pulled his hand back when he remembered that this wasn’t the same little boy who’d liked when he used to do it. 

Teenagers were different. 

Peter whimpered, reaching out to take Tony’s hand and put it back in his hair. “Feels good,” Peter mumbled, not bothering to look. 

_But maybe Peter was still kinda the same._

The man smiled into the darkness, resuming his carding. He stared down at the boy, and saw nothing more than little Peter Parker, wrapped in his blankie and pouting whenever Tony would stop playing with his hair. 

_Maybe_ there was still some of that little boy left in Peter?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha not sure when the next update will be, every time I open the document I just stare at it, so I'll have to figure that out (and probably re-watch Spider-Man: Homecoming for like the millionth time). 
> 
> Hope you guys liked the update! I personally loved it (writing and reading it). 
> 
> Anyways, please leave me a comment: thoughts, opinions, chapter prompts, questions, anything really! Anything really, I love checking the comments, lets me know people are actually reading this! :D
> 
> See you next chapter (which will hopefully be soon)!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another new chapter! We're in the Homecoming area of the story now. Got some things planned for a couple of the major scenes in the film. Most importantly, since Tony is absent for most of the film, I will be working towards growing Pepper and Peter's relationship, since, you know, he's already got a fairly good relationship with Tony (although there will be IronDad sprinkled around because I can and that's what everyone's here for).
> 
> Anyways! I hope you enjoy, reader!

Peter had been just a little embarrassed after his migraine/sensory overload thing. Neither Mister Stark or Miss Potts mentioned it, but he knew they’d talked about it, and he may or may not have overheard (completely by accident) Miss Potts calling him cute. 

So, as said, a bit embarrassed. Nothing worse than the man you look up too and whom you wish would take you seriously to agree that you’re cute. A big ol’ smack to one’s pride. 

He didn’t acknowledge it though, and he was glad neither Pepper or Tony did either. 

Peter was now starting to get used to routine. As it turned out, he didn’t actually see the billionaire or Pepper very often. Pepper was very busy running Stark Industries, and Iron Man was needed across the globe. Plus, Mister Stark was, as stated, a billionaire and there really wasn’t anywhere the man had to be. 

As far as Peter knew, the man was currently on a trip to somewhere exotic. He’d probably mentioned it in conversation, but Peter had things on his mind and probably missed it. 

Like school. 

And Spider-Manning. 

And Homecoming. 

Decathlon. 

And _Liz._

 _Very much Liz._

The teen shook his head, palms dragging down his cheeks as if that would magically take the pink dusting away. He was lucky that Mister Stark was away on business and Miss Potts gone to an early meeting. Or he’d be teased significantly, and very, _very_ embarrassed. 

The teen made his way out of the tower about an hour earlier then he usually would. 

Peter was bussing to school today, since Happy was with Miss Potts and Tony was away. And he couldn’t drive himself. Driving lessons was just something foster kids didn’t usually get until they could pay for it themselves. 

He didn’t mind public transportation, and he wasn’t a stranger to it. If anything, it probably agitated Tony and Pepper more so than Peter that he was bussing through the city. A class barrier, maybe? He doubted Tony Stark had ever taken public transit, having grown up in a wealthy family. He wasn’t sure about Miss Potts, but she totally hadn’t been on the bus in some years for sure. 

But Peter didn’t mind. Public transit was familiar. He’d spent most of his life having to bus places. As he waited for his stop at the bus stop closest to Midtown, the teen sent a quick text to Pepper, informing her that he was almost at school and hadn’t died. He would’ve texted Mister Stark, but, well, the man was supposed to be gone for another week at least. 

It was weird having to update adults about his whereabouts, since none of his fosters had cared. Peter bounced off the bus, jogging to the school just in time to not miss the bell. 

School was a bore. As it usually was. After working in a lab with Tony Stark, the genius, school didn’t really have much to offer him. But he’d continue to attend to please the adults in his life. 

School passed by in a blur of Ned asked questions about his new living arrangements and boring classes where the teachers mostly ignored him. 

He sprinted from the school as fast as he could, jumping the fence when he was sure no one would notice. He ducked into an alleyway, striping his clothes haphazardly. He was getting better at transitioning from his civilian clothes to his suit, so it didn’t take too long. And he even managed to get all his fingers in the right finger holes on the first time, which was always great. 

He needed to get straight to work. Curfew was pretty early, considering the fact that crime usually started happening after his assigned bedtime on school nights. 

So, he needed to help everyone he could in the small time span he had. 

He helped little old ladies with directions, stolen bicycles, attempts at car theft... sometime he’d help with fires, or muggings or, if he was very unlucky, he’d get guilted into climbing trees to rescue stuck cats. 

But everything seemed to turn around when he noticed something actually cool going on. There was dude trying to rob the bank ATMs. 

It was across from Mister Delmar’s, which was where Peter would scope things out. 

He made his way inside the bank, and to his surprise, the thieves were so focused on their task, they didn’t even notice him there. How rude. Peter held in his laughs when he noticed the thieves’ choice of disguise. 

They did, however, notice when he cleared his throat, and then the fight was on. He felt he held his weight pretty well, it was four against one, and he was _technically_ fighting the Avenger’s which would be funny if one of them hadn’t just shot him with some weird ray gun thing. It was the weirdest thing hovering in the air like that. 

Then, a shot rang out, and Peter watched with wide eyes as Mister Delmar’s shop ignited into flames. The bank robbers were pushed to the back of his mind as he left into action. 

He managed to get the man out, with minimal burns (to either of them) and find Murph, who’d been startled into hiding. Peter would’ve been devastated if anything happened to Murph. The teen was just glad that Mister Delmar had been alone in the shop. The flames were spreading quickly and Peter wasn’t sure he’d be able to go back in for anyone else. 

By the time Peter made it back to the Tower, his arms were raw with burns and his lungs heavy from smoke inhalation. But it was alright. He was already starting to heal; that familiar sting of his body mending itself back together and the rough scratchiness of his lungs going through the motions of clearing themselves out. 

What wasn’t alright, was the look on Miss Pott’s face as he slipped in through his bedroom window. She was sat on his bed, eyes narrow and arms crossed over her chest. 

Peter opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes landed on his alarm clock when a bright red ‘1:46AM’ stared back at him. 

_Oh._

_Oh no._

\---- 

“Peter,” Pepper started, voice icy as she stood from the bed, “do you mind telling me why you’re coming home almost two hours past your curfew?” 

“I... I got distracted?” Peter tried. It wasn’t necessarily a lie; he really had been distracted. Was he supposed to just swing right by Mister Delmar’s, _his friend’s_ , flaming convenience store? 

“Seriously, Peter. I was worried sick, I didn’t know where you were, and Tony hadn’t heard from you-” 

“You called Mister Stark?” Peter gaped in shock. Oh no. _God_ , he was gonna be so _pissed_. 

“What else was I supposed to do? You were gone for almost two hours after curfew!” Pepper narrowed her eyes, voice raising, “I was worried, Peter. I didn’t know where you were. You could’ve been dead somewhere!” 

Pepper sounded near hysteric, voice wobbling, “you can’t do this to me too. Please, honey. I already have Tony who doesn’t keep me in the loop, and I can’t have you doing it too.” 

“I’m sorry,” Peter whispered. 

“Look, I don't care if you’re late sometimes, _sometimes_. Happens to everyone. I know saving people can’t be kept on a tight schedule, but you have to tell me things. Or, at least text me so I’m not losing my mind coming up with one-hundred and one ways you could’ve _died_.” 

Her voice was light at the end, but her eyes were not. Guilt tugged at Peter, and he nodded solemnly, acting before he could speak. He stepped towards her, burying his face in her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her. 

Pepper always smelled nice. She had this... fresh perfume-y smell, but there was hints of Mister Stark’s cologne. It was a nice smell, comforting. 

Pepper hesitated for a second before she as well wrapped around him. Peter hadn’t yet been the one to initiate contact. With Pepper or Mister Stark, so she was probably confused, or shocked or something. But he just needed this right now. He’d been scared for Mister Delmar, and he still didn’t feel quite right after the weird alien laser beam thing that held him hovering above the ground. 

Pepper’s hold was tight, and she tightened as she took in a deep breath. Peter felt her burry her face in his hair, and maybe press a kiss to his head, but he couldn’t be sure. This felt right, and he was literally relaxing into her embrace. 

“You smell like smoke.” Pepper’s voice was soft, as she mumbled into his hair. Her hand came up to drag through his curls at the nape of his neck. She then pulled back just enough to see his face. 

“Yeah, I know,” Peter stared at her with dazed doe-eyes for a second before snorted a laugh and continuing, “I was helping out at a fire.” 

“You were wha-” the woman was cut off by Friday. 

“Call from: Tony Stark.” 

And then the man’s face was materialized in the middle of the room. Peter would’ve thought that the holograms were cool (he really did think they were) had it not been for the fact he was a little scared of Mister Stark right now. 

“Pete, how nice of you to grace us with your presence, at what? Hmm? One hour after curfew? One and a half?” 

“Almost two,” Peter whispered with a wince, still wrapped in Pepper’s embrace. Lying would be digging his own grave deeper. 

“Two?” the man hummed, voice scarily even, “two hours and not a word to either of us?” 

“S-sorry, Mister Stark, I was helping people, and then there were these bank robbers with these, these weird weapons and, and, well, I guess I got held up.” 

“Got held up,” Mister Stark echoed sarcastically, glancing at Pepper. He raised a curious eyebrow at her arm full of teenager. It was cute, but he’d worry about it later, he was seething with protective anger at the moment. “I don’t care how held up you got, Kid. We’re a team. And you don’t just get to go MIA. We were worried, Peter. Pepper was worried. And do you know how scary it is to be across the world and have your girlfriend tell you your superhero kid hasn’t been seen or heard from since that morning?” Tony curled his nose up, “two hours after his curfew?” 

“Look,” Peter pulled away from Pepper’s arms, but her hand settled on his shoulder, “I get it. I was wrong, but I’m not going to just walk away from someone in danger because you want me home at a certain time.” Peter too was mad now, “he could’ve died Mister Stark. The whole place was on fire, and he could’ve died in there. I wasn’t going to let that happen, and I’m sorry I worried you- _you guys_ \- but you need to understand, where I come from, people... adults, they don’t... they just don’t care. I’m learning how to do this just as much as you are.” 

Tony was momentarily shocked. It was a lot of information just thrown at him. A fire. A _raging_ fire. His kid had been in a raging fire and he got not one single report from Peter’s suit. Then, dread filled him. Peter hadn’t had anyone to look out for him. He’d been practically on his own. 

“We know, honey,” Pepper hummed. She ran her fingers through the teen’s hair. Peter turned to glance at her, sparing a small smile (that led the billionaire to believe they’d had some heart-to-heart before he called) before turning his hard eyes back to the hologram. 

“I’m not going to change who I am just because you don’t like it,” Peter, for whatever reason, felt more confident speaking to the hologram of the billionaire then he knew he would have if the man was stood in front of him. “I’m saving people. People _need_ me. I’m not going to let them down, I’m sorry.” 

“Okay,” Tony let out a breath, “I’m still mad, but you’ve got some good points, Kid. Listen, I’ve... I’m late for a meeting now. Pepper, take him to get checked out in the med bay.” Tony paused for a second, planning his words carefully, “I _get_ the superhero thing, Pete. _I get it_. But you’ve got people who do care, and people who want you safe... so, you know, shoot us a text if you’re feeling like running head first into an open flame, yeah?” 

Peter’s face lit up into a small smile and he gave the billionaire the slightest of nod, “yeah,” he agreed, “you got it, Mister Stark.” 

“Okay, well,” Tony cleared his throat, “love you guys- _Pepper_ , love you Pepper. Uh, Pete, I’ll see you in a couple week, yeah?” 

“Love you too, Tony,” Pepper laughed as the billionaire flushed lightly, “bye.” 

“See you later,” Peter grinned biting his tongue to keep his emotions at bay. It was way early in the fostering, but Peter had never felt like this with a single one of his foster parents, and his whole being lit up at the man’s slip of words. Tony Stark loved him. 

“Right. Bye,” Tony waved away the hologram, ending the call in a flick of his wrist. 

“Does he really?” Peter turned his attention to Pepper. She looked at him in confusion for a second before she smiled carefully. 

“With all his heart,” she whispered. She ruffled his hair, letting her hand fall down to cup his cheek. Her thumb trailed back and forth lightly and Peter felt himself leaning into the touch, “he loves you so much, honey.” 

Peter drew in a shaky breath, coughing lightly, “that means a lot,” Peter hummed, “I like you guys too, but it’s... I can’t get attached to people, I’m sorry.” 

“That’s alright, Peter,” Pepper gave him a tight smile, “you don't have to apologize for something like that. Just... Just know we love you. Even if Tony’s being dumb and won’t admit it.” 

Peter didn’t reply, but pulled away carefully. He pressed his palm to the spider emblem on his chest and the fabric of the suit expanded, leaving it to slip off his shoulders and pool on the floor at his feet. 

“So, I know it’s late, but what do you say I patch up those burns for you, rub some ointment on them to help with the healing and then you and I order some Thai take out?” 

“It’s almost three am,” Peter reminded, a little bit shocked, “does anyone even deliver this late?” 

“Anything’s possible when you’re hanging around Tony Stark, honey.” Pepper laughed openly, as she threw a shirt off the top of Peter’s dresser at him. “Get dressed and come out to the living room. I’ll order the food and then we’ll take a look at your burns- don't worry, I’ve been around Tony long enough to know my share of first aid.” 

“I can imagine,” Peter laughed, voice light. It was cool that they were getting Thai food at three AM on a school night, and Peter was positive Pepper would have a meeting the following morning, probably pretty early if he were to guess. 

But it was nice that she was taking the time to be with him, despite the early hour. It filled him with warmth, as he slipped the shirt in his hands over his head. He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and picked up his suit, laying it on his bed to be dealt with late before moving to join Pepper in the living room. 

Pepper Potts was super cool, and no one could change his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I know I took a while to get this one out (like 10 days), but it's here now! Working on the next part right after I finish this note.
> 
> Please remember to comment! Every single one is important, whether it's a thought, an opinion, a prompt or even some constructive criticism (or just sharing your love for the characters because _same_ ). Comments motivate me, just like most other writers! It's nice to know people like it, so thanks to everyone who comments regularly! :D
> 
> Bye-bye for now, I'll be back soon with another chapter!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, welcome!
> 
> This chapter was supposed to be two chapters but I decided to just make one bigger instead of the two small ones. It's over a two day span. Attempted concerned Iron!dad and Mom!Pepper because I love worried parents. And let's face it, Peter Parker worries us all. A bit of the conversation from Spider-Man: Homecoming, but with my own work added in!
> 
> Enjoy~

In hindsight, ditching the party he’d promised Pepper he’d stay at- the one he’d had to practically beg to get a curfew advance for the night, was a bad idea. 

As he stared at the van, perched on a pillar. 

The two men, showing another dude some... weird _alien_ gun. It was totally where the bank robber Avengers had gotten their weapons. Peter was sure of it. 

He blinked his eyes shut as the man holding the gun fired it, and a laser shot from it. Peter’s Spidey-sense was going haywire. Something was going to happen- 

And his stupid phone started _ringing_. 

Oh God, how stupid could he be?? You don’t sneak up on a group of bad guys illegally selling alien weapons when your phone’s not on silent. That’s like superhero rule one-oh-one. 

The teen rushed to shut it off, panic heavy as he shoved the stupid device back into his pocket. 

Peter prayed they didn’t hear it, but, like clockwork, the buyer was accused of setting them up. Peter sighed quickly as he dropped to the ground, landing easily. 

“Hey, hey! If you’re going to shoot someone,” Peter called their attention, “shoot me!” 

The teen bit his tongue as he drew in more attention by flapping his limbs about. It was dumb, sure. But if the man the gun was currently pointed at was shot, he’d die. If Peter was shot, he’d be down for the count for a day- maybe two. 

The choice was easy to make for the vigilante. 

The man holding the gun looked back and forth between Spider-Man and the man at the other end of the gun, “a’ight,” a snarky smile spread across the man’s face as he shifted so the gun was pointed at Peter. 

The teen smiled behind the mask. Before the man could shoot him (like a millisecond before if Peter was honest) the spider-hero shot a string of web at the gun, clogging it and then pulling it from the man’s grip. 

He launched at the truck, but the second man punched Peter with some weapon that freaking hurt. Like wow. The teen took a second to shake off the pain, and everyone used it as their chance at escape. But Peter wasn’t going to let up. 

He sprang up as the vehicles started pulling away. 

The car chase was crazy. 

It was amazing and terrible at the same time. They were putting up one hell of a fight. 

Peter was thrown from the car more then he’d like to admit. He crashed a pool party, and accidentally scared two little girls having a sleepover in the backyard (he felt bad about that). 

But he managed to catch up. The teen grinned as he moved to jump on the van- ready to stick the landing and finally, finally catch a break- but he was swept off his feet that hadn’t even managed to touch the roof of the van. 

Peter struggled heavily as he glanced up, and almost cried out at the... the _thing_ staring back at him. _What the hell is that thing!_

Karen was rattling on about altitude, but Peter had more pressing matters- like the steel tight grip the thing had on his ankle. 

It all happened so fast. So incredibly fast. One second, Peter was soaring high in the sky, dragged by whatever was holding him, and the next, he was falling. Fast. 

Karen deployed the parachute, but it did very little to help, as it instead of catching in the wind and opening, caught on him somehow and didn’t open. 

Peter landed in a lake, which could be thought to be lucky, but it really didn’t feel very lucky as he sank, fighting against the restraint of the parachute wrapped around him. 

In that moment, Peter thought he was going to die. And it wasn’t very heroic. 

Bested by water after surviving stab wounds and bullet holes. 

But he tried. He struggled. But it was _useless_... 

He’d almost given up hope when a bright light and movement of something else submerging in the water drew in what little consciousness he was desperately grasping. 

Peter must’ve blanked out for a second, because the next thing he knew, he was flying once more, the parachute nowhere to be seen. He groaned, turning slightly to make sure the thing hadn’t gotten a hold of him again, but let out a sigh of relief at the shine of the Iron Man armor. 

Peter was conscious enough to stumble to his feet when Mister Stark lowered him to the ground at the playground beside the lake. The billionaire didn’t land though, instead hovered a couple feet in the air. Peter felt small, so he easily climbed the jungle gym to be a bit more on the man’s level. 

“What the hell was that?” Tony’s voice flowed from the armor hovering beside where Peter was seating himself on the play structure. 

“I was helping people,” Peter huffed, breath lost from the adrenaline coursing through him. He pulled the mask off, wringing it out. Hopefully Karen would be alright. “There was, this, this weapons dealer, Mister Stark. They were selling and shooting things off, and how was I supposed to just walk past that?” 

“I thought you were supposed to be at the party, Pepper said you were. Lisa’s or whatever, why aren’t you there, Peter?” The billionaire didn’t sound mad, but Peter was starting to think he calmed his voice when he was pissed off. 

“I was! I was.” Peter cried, “I swear, I was at the party. Ask Ned-” 

“Sure, Peter. I’m going to ask your little friend who will definitely _lie_ for you-” 

“No, I was there! Flash saw me, MJ did, Liz did, please, Mister Stark. I went to the party. But, I saw, I saw the flash, and I-I know that the weapons are out there, and I’ve gotta protect Queens.” 

“How’d you even know what I was doing?” Peter narrowed his eyes. 

“Your suit sent an update to Friday. When you went high enough for your parachute to _deploy_ ,” there was an uncharacteristic snarl at the last word, but Peter didn’t bring it up. 

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Peter hurriedly amended, “there was... this mechanical bird thing, and I was just trying to get onto the van- cause, you know the weapons dealer- but he just, like swooped down, like a monster and he, he picked me up like a thousand feet and just dropped me!” 

There was a beat of silence, “how’d you find me... did you put like a tracker or something in the suit?” 

“I put everything in your suit,” the voice was strong, and if Peter didn’t know any better, there was a smile on the man’s face. “including this heater.” 

Peter practically purred as the suit warmed significantly. He could once again feel his fingers, and he flexed them happily. “Wow, thanks.” 

Another moment of silence. Peter thought the billionaire would just let him go now. Back to the party, or back to the penthouse- but that crashed and burned with Tony’s next words. 

“What were you thinking?” 

“T-the guy with the wings is obviously the source of the weapons!” Peter exclaimed, dumbstruck by how clueless the billionaire was being. Hadn’t they just been over this? “I gotta take him down!” 

“Take him down now, huh?” Tony’s voice was humorous. But not like a funny humorous, more like an ‘I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that' humorous. A shiver ran through Peter at the man’s tone. “Steady Crockett, there are people who handle this sort of thing.” 

“Like the avengers?” Peter’s eyes widened. 

“Uhm, no, no, no.” Tony held back a laugh, “that’s a little below their paygrade.” Peter opened his mouth to make the statement that it wasn’t below his. He could help. He could figure this out and keep his people safe. 

Peter decided to just dismiss everything. Because he wasn’t going to get anywhere clearly, “anyways, Mister Stark. You didn’t need to come all the way out here. I mean, I know you were probably pretty far away, but like, I’m okay, I had it handled, and I’m sure they’re probably missing you-” 

“Oh no,” Mister Stark snorted, “I’m not actually... here.” And the face-plate lifted. Peter instantly felt stupid. Because of course the billionaire wasn’t _here_. He was across the world- and, not to mention, why would he himself show up to save Peter’s ass. Peter wasn’t that important. “Thank God this place has WiFi, or you would be toast right now.” 

“I would not!” Peter yelped, instantly offended, “I had that covered.” 

“Sure,” Tony huffed, and Peter just knew the man rolled his eyes. “Look. Forget the flying Vulture guy, _please_ -” 

“Why-” 

“Because I said so!” The billionaire’s voice rose. Peter shrunk back because people raising their voices was never a good thing, at least from his experience. “Stay close to the ground. Build up your game by helping the little people. Like the lady with the churro.” 

Peter flushed at the mention of the churro. He didn’t think Mister Stark actually listened to the logs he sent. He recorded one after almost every time in the Spider-Man suit. They were more so for himself, because he was sure Mister Stark wouldn’t actually listen to them- but here he was. Proven wrong once more. 

“Can’t you just... be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?” the billionaire questioned. 

“But, I-” 

“Peter, enough. Look. Head back home. Pepper’s probably worried- or, even, you know, head back to that party. Just, _please_ , leave this alone.” The billionaire’s voice sounded neutral again, “I’ll be home tomorrow for the night, but I leave again the following morning. I’ll see you after school. Forget the Vulture.” 

“Okay.” Peter rolled his eyes. “Fine.” 

“Good boy,” the man sounded pleased, “now, I’ve got to go. I’ll text Pepper, and I suggest you do the same. Whether you go home or to the party- let her know.” 

“Sure,” Peter sighed, “uh, bye Mister Stark.” 

“Tomorrow, Kid.” 

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” 

And the call was ended. Friday informed him of the connection loss and Peter groaned. This sucked. 

Peter called Ned back first, frowning at the echoing of ‘Penis Parker’ in the background. He then texted Pepper to tell her he’d be back within the hour. 

The teen decided to walk for a while. To clear his head. Because Mister Stark wanted him to stay close to the ground. Why now? He didn’t think the same when he flew Peter out to fight Captain _freaking_ America. 

The night couldn’t get any worse. He’d messed things up for the second time in the past like week. Mister Stark was probably mad. The weapons dealers got away. Some stupid Vulture thing tried to drown him. And, to top it all off, he _had_ almost drowned. 

Plus, he skipped out of the party. He left Ned (hopefully Ned wasn’t too mad), missed his opportunity to talk to Liz and Flash was trashing his name. _Again_. 

Messed as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man because he was just a hot mess all around apparently. 

Things brightened up just a little when he saw a bright pink glow from the grass. Alien tech. 

Perfect. 

All was not lost. 

The teenager grinned as he picked it up, inspecting it. Maybe he could get something from it- a hideout or even schematics about what the hell this was. But, either way, this was so cool. 

\---- 

That next morning, Peter showed his best friend the weapon. Second period was their shop class, so Peter and Ned worked at trying to take the stupid thing apart. It was harder than they’d assumed, but with a small little spark and a blast that _almost_ made the teacher look up at them, the little glowy bit popped out. 

Then, of course those idiots showed up at a school. And they had guns, the utter idiots. Peter followed them, slowly, sneaking carefully. He remembered one of the guys from the car chase yesterday, so they were probably Vulture’s henchmen. 

He was almost caught, but with his quick reflexes, managed to hide himself. Thank God for that. 

After planting the tracker on one of the Vulture’s henchmen, Peter trekked up the stairs and out of the workshop. 

His steps were slow, and soft. He wasn’t sure if the two goons were still in his school, and he really wasn’t dressed to be Spider-Manning if they tried any funny business in the school. 

It was bad enough that they had a _gun_ , in a school filled with innocent teenagers. Plus, if Spider-Man was at the school right when danger strikes, his whole secret identity would be blown to pieces faster than he could imagine. 

Thankfully, the two were out of sight, meaning they’d travelled straight out the door after not having found what they were looking for, or they were scoping around the school still. If they knew any better, they were probably gone, but criminals could be petty, and he wouldn’t put it past the idiots to still be snooping around in a private school. 

Peter assumed the duo was in search of the glowy-thing, that was nestled snug in his backpack. He didn’t know what it was, but if the Vulture was looking for it, it had to be important. 

The boy paused, eyes searching for Ned. His friend peeked out from the hallway Peter had left him in, and lifted his hand to wave Peter over. 

Peter snorted a quiet laugh at Ned’s narrowed eyes, his friend was definitely trying to be inconspicuous, and he was failing. Miserably. 

Peter was just happy that it was the two of them in the hallway, so no one else had to be concerned about Ned’s well-being. Ned would never be an actor. 

“Peter,” his friend hissed, voice an octave higher, but fairly quiet considering Ned’s nervous expression, “what the hell was that. Who are they- why were they here?” 

“I don’t know, but they’re gone now. There’s nothing to worry abou-” The static of the PA system silenced Peter immediately. 

_“Attention: This is a lockdown. This is not a drill. I repeat, the school is now under lockdown.”_

Peter almost groaned at his principal’s voice floating through the nearly empty hallways. Ned looked at Peter with a fearful expression, grabbing his best friend’s sleeve and practically pulling him into the closest classroom, which happened to be Mister Harrington’s classroom. 

“Ned, Peter, hurry. In, in.” The man ushered the two in. Peter glanced around the room, noticing the four other kids already crouching in a back corner out of sight. MJ, Flash, Abraham and Cindy. 

Mister Harrington quickly checked the hallway for any other stragglers before shutting and locking the door. He flicked the lights off before moving to join the kids already hidden away. This classroom didn’t have any windows, so once the door was taken care of, there wasn’t anything to worry about. 

Peter made a near silent sound of distress, giving Ned an exasperated look before he dragged his best friend to a corner away from the others. Mister Harrington raised an eyebrow, confused why the two wouldn’t want to be with the rest of the class, but he didn’t say anything else. 

The silence in the room was heavy. Peter was antsy, and wanted nothing more than to talk to his best friend. Ned was shaking at his side, hands wringing together in nerves. 

Panic radiated off of everyone in the room. Peter could hear every sharp intake of breath as people tried to calm themselves. He heard the erratic heartbeats of everyone in his vicinity; in this room and in the neighboring classrooms as well. 

Peter wasn’t concerned. His Spidey-sense wasn’t going off. And honestly, not that he’d tell the other people in the room (besides Ned) but they were probably the safest in the building with him. They were locked in a room with Spider-Man, and if it came between protecting his identity and protecting his friends and classmates, he’d chose the latter. 

But the guys in the school were probably gone. The idiots were probably spotted by a student. Midtown was pretty strict about hallway rules. Students needed to have a hall pass between classes, and visitors had badges that were to be worn at all times- whether a guest speaker visiting, the superintendent or substitutes. 

So, when those two bozos were walking about without the identification literally everyone in the school looked for, someone was bound to say something to the staff. 

The teen sat quietly for another minute or so before fishing his phone from his backpack and poking Ned’s shoulder. He turned his phone on, putting it on silent before showing his friend what he’d done and gesturing for Ned to do the same. 

With shaky hands, Ned slipped his phone from his pocket, muting his phone as well. 

_P: calm down your leg is shaking my whole body_

Ned turned a sharp glare at Peter, huffing a near silent breath as he typed in his message. 

_N: the whole school is on lockdown. we could die!_

_P: no. no one’s gonna die_

_P: we’re alright. spidey-sense isn’t going off. they prolly left the school already_

_N: that doesn’t change the fact we’re on lockdown!_

_P: safety precaution._

_P: sides this is like the safest place you can be. you've got spiderman by your side_

_N: 2 dudes came into our school with a gun. why aren’t you concerned about this?!_

_P: they’re bad guys. that’s what they do. what good will being scared be?_

_P: I'll protect us_

Ned gave Peter a sideways glance, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Peter looked towards the others in the room. 

Mister Harrington had his back to the door, shielding the other four students in the room. 

Flash was pretty close to tears, mouthing words to himself and trying to hide himself behind everyone else. 

MJ looked indifferent, she sketched away in her notebook, occasionally glancing up to survey the mood in the room before continuing on with her drawing. 

Cindy and Abe were huddled together on the floor in between Mister Harrington and the wall (which Flash was trying we get behind them). 

_P: it’ll be over soon. I hear police sirens_

_P: they’ll check the school, see no one and prolly dismiss us for the day._

_N: I hope your right._

_P: of course I’m right. I'm spiderman bro_

Ned flicked an exasperated glance to his right, where Peter returned a small smile. All they had to do was play the waiting game. 

\---- 

Tony was humming to himself in the kitchen, enjoying his afternoon and a nice cup of coffee when Pepper barreled into the room in a rush. She was out of breath, panting heavily and supporting herself on the counter by planting her palms down. She’d been on her way to an early afternoon meeting- having left only thirty minutes earlier. 

“Honey?” Tony questioned, setting his mug of coffee on the counter so he could move towards her and pull her into him, ”what’s wrong?” 

“P-Peter,” she gasped, eyes filled with panic. “Midtown’s, it’s, it’s under lockdown.” 

“ _What?_ ” the billionaire gaped, worry filling his whole being instantly. “What... how do you...?” 

“The news. It’s, Tony, it’s everywhere. There’s a swat team at the school. Two men with a gun. One of the students reported seeing them to the office. They don’t know if they’re still in the school or not, but they’ve been on lockdown since ten this morning.” 

“Friday, bring up the news,” Tony ordered, voice stern. A hologram screen materialized in the middle of the kitchen, and within seconds the news was playing. 

**“We’re currently outside Midtown School of Science and Technology where allegedly two men are inside the school with a firearm,”** the woman spoke, **“the identities of the two men are unknown, and we are unsure of any causalities at this point. Police have penetrated the building and are doing a sweep for the two.”** A quick pause, **“we will keep you posted, for more information visit our websi-”**

“Off,” the billionaire insisted, and the screen fell to translucence. “Any word on the lockdown, or anything involving Midtown High, you inform me and instantly turn it back on, got it, Friday?” 

“Of course, Boss.” 

Tony flashed his girlfriend a tiny smile, “if Peter thought they were in any danger he’d of call me.” 

This seemed to put Pepper a little more at ease. 

But it did nothing for the man himself. He wanted the boy to contact him. Let him know everything was okay- that he was okay. But he heard not a thing. 

What if something had happened to the boy? Why hadn’t he updated them like the man was sure each and every other student in the school was doing. Sending messages to parents and loved ones. Because they were under lockdown. There were bad guys in their school. 

People could die. Peter could die. 

But still, the billionaire got nothing. 

Another hour passed. Slowly. 

Worry scratched at Tony. And he could see Pepper as well, worried for the safety of Peter. If it weren’t for the fact that the fostering was on the downlow, Tony would’ve already been at the school. Searching for his boy and the assholes who tried to harm him and his peers. 

But it was. And him showing up would only cause suspicion. Because he didn’t bother with anything school wise- leaving that for the local authorities. Below the paygrade. 

Finally, after two hours of sitting and waiting, the elevator doors opened and Peter walked in. He looked fine, backpack over one shoulder and eyes focused on his phone. He looked up. 

“Hey guys, welcome back Mister Stark.” The kid flashed a smile, but it faded slowly, “are... you guys alright? Did something happen?” 

“How was school today, Pete?” 

“Oh, it was alright. Not much happened, classes were boring. Ned and I were working on something in second period though, and that was pretty cool. Why?” 

**“We’re back,”** the hologram TV lit up the room, the anchor’s expression light, **“it appears that the men who infiltrated Midtown High School had already left before the authorities arrived. We are thankful that no one was harmed. As you can see behind me, loved ones are waiting to see their children. The school will be closed tomorrow, to allow for families, students and faculty to recuperate after today’s traumatic experience. For more infor-”**

“Off,” the billionaire waved it away once more, narrow eyes landing on the pale boy in front of him. “Explain.” 

The man knew his voice was hard, but he was scared. Peter had terrified him. Pepper was scared. They hear about this one the news. Peter’s high school has armed gunmen and the boy doesn’t mention it. Doesn’t text and doesn’t bother even bringing it up when he got home. 

“What... explain what?” Peter tilted his head; eyes wide and mouth agape. 

“Why the hell you didn’t tell us!” Tony snarled, “for God’s sake, Peter! Someone had a gun in your school today. A _gun_.” the man stressed the word, “that seems like something one would share with their guardians! Shoot a text, or, you know tell us you’ve been on lockdown for nearly four hours today?” 

“It was fine!” Peter’s eyebrows furrowed, “if I was in trouble, or thought anything was going to happen, I would have texted you. But it wasn’t. The guys left, and then the stupid principal calls the lockdown.” 

“You saw them?” Tony seethed, “ _wait, wait, wait_ , you’re telling me, you laid eyes on these _gunmen_ , in _your school_ and you did _nothing_? You didn’t text. You didn’t call a teacher. Peter, you could’ve been shot. Someone could’ve gotten hurt-” 

“But no one did! Aren’t you listening to me? My senses weren’t going off. I knew they’d left. They’d be complete idiots to stay very long in the school-” 

“Peter, sweetie, how do you know?” Pepper’s voice drew the teen from his anger. 

“They’re the Vulture’s guys!” Peter stressed, raking a hand through his hair, “I saw em’ last night- or, well, one of them.” 

“And that doesn’t concern you?” Tony nearly shouted, "they see Spider-Man last night and automatically show up at your school the next day? Peter, they could know that you are-” 

“They don’t” Peter deflected, biting his tongue too keep himself from just spilling; _‘they’re just looking for the glowy thing I found last night, because I tried to take it apart and maybe almost blew up the school. Oops.’_ “Everything was fine,” the teen breathed out between clenched teeth. 

Neither Tony or Pepper spoke, so Peter continued, “I don’t see what the big deal is. No one was in danger. It’s not like you could’ve helped either way. And if something were too of gone bad, I’d have given up my identity to save my friends! No one would have even known if someone didn’t tell a teacher. They were in and out in like five minutes.” 

“Honey, it’s not the fact you were on lockdown and didn’t tell us. It’s that you were in danger, and didn’t tell us. Even if you knew you were okay, _we_ didn’t.” 

And _oh_. He hadn’t thought of that... 

“It’s terrifying to see on the news that the school your kid goes too is under lockdown, Peter. We couldn’t do anything. We knew nothing. Heard nothing from you. We heard from the _news_ that there was a chance you could die, we didn't hear anything from _you_.” The billionaire took a breath, “remember, we’re a team. Keep us in the loop, so we aren’t sitting here, scared about whether or not you’re dying.” 

“Yeah,” Peter swallowed thickly, “I see now. I’m sorry. I didn’t think you guys would be worried. No one usually is. I was wrong. It didn’t even cross my mind to update you guys, still... you know, learning to keep foster parents in the loop, ‘cause they’ve never wanted to know before.” 

“It’s fine, honey,” Pepper pulled the teen into a hug, burying her face in his hair. “Just... please try to remember.” 

“Yeah,” Peter huffed a laugh, “I will.” 

Tony squeezed his eyes shut as the teen hugged him too. He held the boy tight, still wound up by thinking his kid was hurt or something, but feeling his boy in his arms and knowing Peter was okay and home safe, eased it tremendously. 

“You need to stay away from the Vulture, Kid.” Tony mumbled into Peter’s hair. He wasn’t ready to let go yet, not when it felt so right having Peter wrapped in his hold, “it’ll be handled, but not by you.” 

Peter remained silent, because he was invested in this. He was going to prove himself worthy of being an Avenger. Prove himself to Iron Man. 

“Well,” Pepper wiped her eyes which were slightly damp, “I think we all need to wind down a little. Movie and takeout?” 

“Perfect,” Tony agreed, finally pulling back from his boy. 

“Pizza?” Peter questioned, eyes lighting up and a tiny smile on his lips. 

“Sure, Kiddo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought of this because I have so many memories of lockdown drills and a couple actual lockdowns (or hold and secure's because they're practically the same thing), cause my school had loads. Public school at its finest! 
> 
> Just liked this idea and wanted to add it, and I feel like at least one person at the school would’ve seen the two out of place men walking around in a school like Midtown. 
> 
> Anywho, remember to comment! Thoughts, opinions, prompts and constructive criticism more than welcome! See you next chapter!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy just after Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadian readers!  
> This chapter is practically just 3k of angst (and some fluff). Sorry, not sorry! 
> 
> Enjoy~

Washington had been a mess. Although Mister Stark nor Pepper figured out he’d ditched Decathlon for a little Spider-Man escapade, accidentally ‘forgetting’ his suit tracker in his and Ned’s hotel room. It still hadn't been his proudest moments. 

Yes, that’s right, he gave himself a concussion, and he got himself stuck in a shipping container. And then locked in a warehouse, miles away from where his foster parents thought he was. 

Then he’d given his best friend a bomb. A _bomb_ , because Parker luck _sucked_. 

And, to make it worse, he almost got his Decathlon team blown up with said bomb. Well, that wasn’t really his fault. If Ned had answered the phone and let him _speak_ \- none of that would’ve happened, but Peter was willing to take full responsibility. 

He managed to save his class though, then continued on to fall down a nearly five-hundred-foot elevator shaft (ouch) and receive an earful from one angry billionaire (again, ouch). 

Clearly, this weapons dealing case thing was really starting to kick his ass. 

But, the day to prove himself had come. 

And it was... well... 

Peter’s day had been rough. Firstly, interrogation mode on his suit betrayed him; the guy in the parking lot had thought he was a girl, which wounded his pride greatly. 

Then, secondly, he’d almost sunk a ferry boat- or, well, he hadn’t necessarily done it, but it wouldn’t have happened if he’d gone for help instead of trying to fix it by himself. He’d wanted to prove himself to his hero, and then he managed to almost sink it. 

Granted, he’d almost saved it. Ninety-eight percent accurate. 

Then, continuing on with the bad streak, he’d almost been torn in two trying to keep the ship together and everyone on it safe. 

Another good was Mister Stark swooping in to help, pushing the boat together and mending it with his lasers to keep it afloat until search and rescue could arrive for those on the ferry. 

And now, now Peter was getting what he deserved. Mister Stark was beyond angry this time. And things honestly couldn’t get any worse- or, maybe they could. 

Peter knew he’d fucked up. Or, well, he’d fucked up twice now- but one was significantly more hurtful then the other. 

He hadn’t meant to. Mister Stark was simply giving him some well-deserved scolding, and he knew. He’d gone behind the man’s back. He’d yelled at him, and was questioning how much the billionaire cared. He’d almost sunk a ferry boat- hell, he would’ve been torn in half trying to keep the boat together if Mister Stark hadn’t swooped in to save the day. 

He hadn’t meant to flinch away. The billionaire was lost in his scolding, angry; voice raising as he tried to get Peter to understand just how stupid he’d been. His hands moved smoothly, gesticulating the important words- and something just... Peter’s body reacted to it. 

His fight or flight response kicked in, and before Peter could even realize what he was doing, he was shielding himself... from _Mister Stark_. 

His body had reacted faster than his mind could comprehend- and, the first thing he did was raise his arms to protect his face, ducking his head behind his forearms only to _cower_. Afraid to be struck. Because it wouldn’t have been the first time he was hit for doing something wrong- and this, _this_ was a big wrong. 

He knew the billionaire would never harm him. Of course, he knew. Mister Stark wasn’t like that. The billionaire took him in, and was taking care of him. Gave him a suit, works every day to train him; he keeps Peter safe, and housed and fed. 

And from what Peter had gathered (from his sneaking around the penthouse when no one was home, the conversations with the man he had and the very interesting phone call from Mister Stark right before shit hit the fan on the ferry) Mister Stark’s father hadn’t been a very pleasant person to his only son. Mister Stark had said he was trying to break the cycle, and Peter knew in his heart Tony would never ever raise a hand to him. Tony Stark loved him. 

When Peter realized just what he did to the man who was trying to protect him, his arms dropped from his face as if he’d been burned. He simply wasn’t fast enough though. 

The billionaire took a second to study him before he too was moving as if someone had set flames to the ground between them. The billionaire took a hurried step back, hands falling to his sides and slipping into his pockets. 

Peter could barely look at the man’s face as flashes of hurt and confusion crossed his features. The boy didn’t think he’d ever be able to wipe the image of Mister Stark’s widened eyes from his brain. A clear mixture of emotions lighting up his brown irises; confusion, sadness, hurt and anxiety. 

“Peter...” the word was quiet; pained, and Peter wanted nothing more than to cry. He wanted to sob, fall to his knees and apologize. He knew the man wouldn’t hurt him; it was just a reflex- but how is he supposed to tell the billionaire that? 

The man watched for a second longer as Peter was sure his face was crumpling. He was still very high off the adrenaline from almost being torn in two, and being yelled at- but he was sure he looked pretty close to sobbing. And he honestly was. 

Mister Stark strode to him quickly, two wide steps. He was quick to pull the teen into his chest. The man hugged him close, right hand raising to settle on the back of his head and pull the teen’s suddenly too heavy head into his shoulder. 

Peter’s forehead was against the billionaire’s collar bone, with the man’s hands carefully holding him in place; thumbs swiping gently across whatever part of the teen they could reach. 

The sob that bubbled up was unintentional. Peter had tried to hold it back; tried to bite his tongue and stay quiet, but he couldn’t. 

Mister Stark tightened around him, pulling the teen impossibly close, and Peter only cried harder. 

It had been so long since he’d had a hug like this. A hug from someone he loved as much as he loved Mister Stark (not that he was willing to voice this _(yet)_ ). There was just something different from hugging Pepper or his friends, and hugging Tony Stark. He lifted his hand to grab handfuls of the man’s suit jacket, and the billionaire just continued to hush him. 

They stood like this for a while. Time meant nothing to Peter as he relaxed into the warmth of the man. Calming down enough for the serious conversation in his near future. 

Finally, when the billionaire pulled back, Peter let out a quiet breath of relief to see the man had evened his features. He still looked heartbroken, but he didn’t look as sad anymore. Peter wasn’t sure he’d be able to talk to the man if he kept looking like a kicked puppy. Peter’s heart was already shattered by the man even thinking Peter was afraid of him. 

“I-I, that was... I didn’t mean to.” Peter eventually forced out, blinking owlishly at the billionaire, “I promise... I... I- it was just a reaction, Mister Stark, I promise.” He couldn’t have Iron Man thinking he was afraid of him. He _couldn’t_. He couldn’t do that to Tony. 

“Did you... Peter I will _never_ hurt you. I-- I'm not like my father. I won’t lay my hands on you.” the billionaire’s voice broke. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he was so still it was scaring Peter. 

“I know,” Peter hurried to say because he did. He knew, be believed it and he had faith the man wouldn’t, “I know, I know, but I just... I _knew_ you wouldn’t it’s just...” 

The billionaire watched the teen in near hysterics, eyes growing sadder and sadder with each passing second, “a reaction?” he supplied with a small voice. 

“Yeah. Yeah... it’s-” Peter swallowed, “a reaction. My, my body moved faster than my brain, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Mister Stark.” 

“It’s alright, Pete,” Tony shushed, dragging the boy in for another hug he was sure they both desperately needed. “It’s... the foster homes, isn’t it?” 

The teen froze. He really didn’t want to be talking about this. He’d had some pretty shitty ones. And he really didn’t want to tell Mister Stark. He’d lived through it, and he really didn’t want this on the man’s conscious, after everything he’s been doing to keep Peter safe. 

“I’ll... I’ll see you at home,” Peter said instead, pulling the mask over his face and shooting a web to get the hell away. 

\---- 

Tony couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t fathom what had just gone down. 

Peter wasn’t back when he got to the tower, and it was understandable. Peter had been afraid of him. Peter had... Peter thought he was going to hit him. Peter thought he was going to _strike_ him. 

The man took a shuttering breath, reigning in his emotions as he stepped into the living room, where Pepper was working away on the personalized tablet, he’d made for her. 

“Hey,” Pepper greeted with a smile, when he entered the room, but it was quick to fall when she took him in. “What... what happened? Is Peter okay? The ferry crash is on the news- he's okay, right?” 

“I... I don’t know,” Tony swallowed, looking at his girlfriend with watery eyes. “I don’t know, Pep.” 

Pepper was on her feet in a second, walking towards the man with an air of elegance. Her hands dropped on his shoulders, and with the calmest voice he’d ever heard from her, she spoke, “is Peter alright?” 

The man nodded, because _yes_ , the teenager was okay. Physically, okay. Peter was fine. He’d seen him. God, had he seen the kid. Seen the kid _flinching_ away from him. 

“If he’s okay... then... Tony, what’s wrong?” 

“I was... I was lecturing him, you know? Pulled some of the scary things you pull on me when I’m being an ass. It was... he was fine, Pep. I was, just, I was talking and he... he,” 

“He what?” 

“He... he thought I was going to hit him.” Tony swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut, “Peter thought I was... that I was mad enough to... to _hit_ him.” 

“Oh, Honey,” Pepper whispered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him into her. He buried his face in her neck. “He didn’t mean it... He loves you, Tony.” 

“I gave him back,” Tony snapped quietly, “I let them take him away. I _allowed_ that, while I was drowning myself in whatever liquor I had at my disposal. He was put in places where... where he wasn’t safe. Where people would smack him around for disobeying them, Pep. I... I did this.” 

“No, you can’t... you can’t think like that, Tony.” Pepper whispered, voice wavering. 

The billionaire gave a humorless laugh, pulling away from Pepper and turning to look out the window, “I’m just like him, Pep. Peter’s scared of me... Like I was scared of him. I’m my father.” 

“No.” Pepper said sharply, “you are not. You’re not like that man, Tony. I’ve seen the way you look at that boy. Like he’s your whole world. And I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He loves you. He’s been through a lot, of course he has. He’s lost family, and been shipped around from house to house; no stability. Hell, _we_ used him for publicity-” 

Pepper took a second to calm herself, “you’ve messed up. I’ve messed up. Peter’s messed up. We’re all still learning, but you are _nothing_ like that man you’ve told me about. And you never will be.” 

Tony turned to look at her, scanning her for any give that she was lying, or just trying to cheer him up, but she was stony. Arms crossed over her chest and eyes narrowed at him. 

“You didn’t see him, Pep.” Tony said softly, “he was shielding his face. He didn’t even know he’d done it. He looked... he was so scared.” 

“So, you show him you won’t hurt him.” Pepper eyed the billionaire, “you prove yourself to him. This isn’t some game, Tony. You’re the parent here. He is under your guardianship. You’re responsible for him. You have to protect him. _You’re his dad_. Act like it. Show him that you’re in this for the long run.” 

_Protect him. You’re the parent. In it together._

“Yeah,” Tony nodded, looking at Pepper. His eyes were still wet, but a look of determination crossed his features. “I will.” 

\---- 

Peter really couldn’t believe he’d done that. How could he do that to Tony. 

Tony wouldn’t hit him. 

If he were going to, it would’ve been before this. Because Peter had done a lot of fucking up these past few weeks. 

And he hadn’t. 

Peter got nothing but disapproving or disappointed looks from the billionaire. _Tony would never_. 

So, Peter felt even worse about his actions. The man had just saved his ass. Was giving a well-deserved lecture and Peter made to protect himself. It was dumb. A habit he no longer needed. But it was just... it was so hard to break. 

It was a couple hours after the ferry incident that Peter returned to the tower. He’d long since changed into his civilian clothes; the suit stored safely in his backpack. So, the boy walked in. Rode the elevator like a regular person, and hung his head in shame when the doors swept open. 

He was both surprised, and at the same time, not at all surprised to see Mister Stark and Miss Potts sitting on the couch, waiting for him. 

Pepper stood first, walking towards him and checking him over quickly for injuries, and a soft feeling filled Peter as he willed the small smile off his face. It was nice for someone like Pepper to be worried about him. Almost like a mother. 

When she deemed him to be alright, Peter finally looked at the billionaire, who was no longer sitting, but standing beside the couch. Peter bit his cheek as the man angled his head towards the couch, the words ‘I suggest you park your ass here’ heard but not spoken. 

Peter scurried to sit; backpack lowered to the floor at his feet. 

“Wha-” 

“This isn’t working,” Tony blurted, silencing the boy who stared at him with wide eyes. Peter’s eyes widened, ready to question about Tony returning him already, but the man continued before he could, “I’m going to need the suit back.” 

“The... you want the suit?” Peter stammered; ankle wrapping around the schoolbag at his feet protectively. 

“Yeah.” Tony nodded. “This isn’t... it’s not working, Pete.” 

“Please,” Peter begged, eyes watering, “y-you can’t, Mister Stark. Please.” 

“Yes, I can. And I will. It’s not working, Peter.” The man choked out between clenched teeth, “hand it over.” 

“I-I don’t understand-” 

“You’re not ready for this. People could have died today, Peter. Everyone on that ferry almost died. It’s a different story when it’s on you, right?” the billionaire almost winced as the teen crumpled under his words, “if you died though, I feel like that’s on me.” 

A pause where neither spoke. 

“I’m going to need the suit back.” Tony reminded, face and words hard to let the kid know he was serious about this. 

“F-for how long?” 

“Forever.” A harsh reality crashed over both, and Peter, if possible, crumpled down even further against the couch. 

“Please, Mister Stark, please. I-I'm nothing without the suit.” Peter cried. And it was true. He was Spider-Man. The suit was Spider-Man. When he was in that suit, he was no longer wimpy Peter Parker who gets bullied at school. He was this... this cool ass hero. That people looked up too. 

A flash of hardness passed through the man’s eyes, “if you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.” 

The billionaire watched, hand outstretched, as the teen slowly reached down to dig through his bag. When he pulled the suit, he held it in his hands for a second, eyes teary as he stared down. 

“I just wanted to be like you...” 

Peter’s voice was soft, and it honestly broke the man’s heart. But he was protecting his kid. Peter had almost died _way_ too many times at this point. Enough was enough. 

“I wanted you to be better.” 

The billionaire took the suit, marching from the living room and down to his lab, where he had Friday temporarily disable everyone’s access. 

It had been shit to punish the boy like this. Tony felt like shit. He felt like the worst kind of scum around, mind flashing back to Peter's tear stained cheeks, and the heartbreaking crack in the teen's voice. It _hurt_. 

But he had to do it. Peter was... he was being irresponsible. Tony had asked one thing. That he let the weapons dealer go. Let the man handle that via the right means. And instead, Peter almost died along with a ferry boat full of innocent lives. 

The man wiped his watery eyes, shaking his head and staring at the suit. 

_I’m nothing without the suit_

How could one kid break his heart in so many ways he’d never felt before? 

\---- 

Peter stared at where the man had once been; eyes wet and cheeks flushed. He tilted his head to the doorway where Pepper was watching him. Her eyes were teary too. 

“Sweetie,” Pepper said carefully stepping in to hold the teen like he looked like he desperately needed. 

Peter allowed the woman to hold him, instantly comforted by it. He’d just wanted to make Tony proud. To show everyone he wasn’t just some little kid. That he could handle bigger things. That he was Avenger’s material... and now. Now he’d messed everything up. 

Tony was mad. Peter had done some shitty things, and pissed Tony off before- but, never like this. Tony had never been... mad like that. He'd ruined it. Ruined everything.

Tears trailed his cheeks and harsh sobs followed because he’d really fucked up this time, hadn’t he? 

“He’s so mad,” Peter cried out, burying his face in Pepper’s shirt. 

“Shh, he was scared, baby.” Pepper promised, fingers tangling in Peter’s curls. “It’s alright. Everything will work out.” 

Peter nodded against Pepper; eyes sore from the bad day. He really hoped it would all work out. Because he felt like absolute shit right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope ya'll like it! I'll be back with another chapter ASAP (in like a week). Thanks so much for reading :D
> 
> Please do remember to comment! Every single one means the world to me, and I always look forward to reading what people think, and their thoughts and opinions of my work! <3


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst again because Spider-Man: Homecoming is an angsty film. Peter getting himself into trouble, and more Pepper and Peter bonding!
> 
> Some more changed up Spider-Man: Homecoming plot with some of Peter's thoughts and all that jazz.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy~

By some miracle, being banned from Spider-Man wasn’t actually as bad as Peter thought it was going to be. It wasn’t good, but at the same time it wasn’t the worst thing. 

But he did miss it. He felt guilty leaving people he could be protecting and helping, virtually helpless. Spider-Man is supposed to be there for Queens, and here was Peter Parker sitting in a luxurious penthouse, nothing to do but mindlessly flick through the television channels the billionaire had. Peter didn’t really see the need of having more than a thousand channels, but here he was, on channel one-thousand-and-twenty-six. 

The teen didn’t see much of Mister Stark. The man was at the Avenger’s compound upstate. They were moving all the Avenger’s artifacts and everything there since it would be where everyone (those left) would be living. The plane was flying out in the next couple days, and Happy was in charge of it. 

It had been almost a week since the ferry boat incident, and Peter still couldn’t help but feel guilty. He knew the billionaire was avoiding him just as much as he was avoiding the man, and it both made him feel a bit better and devastated him all the same. 

But then there was the saving grace of Pepper Potts. The two of them had only grown closer in the previous days. The woman was like no other he’d met since aunt May. She did those little gestures, like cupping his cheeks in her hands, and running her fingers through his hair, and pushing his hair back to kiss his forehead. She gave the best hugs, and was soft-spoken and understanding- they could talk about anything. 

Which, was why he was excited for her to get home, so he could tell her his very, _very_ exciting news. 

“Hey, honey, sorry I was running a bit late today. You know how the company is,” Pepper rolled her eyes as she set a pile of papers on the counter. Peter stood from the couch, the TV flashing off as he left the room. “Indian sound good for dinner- Hey, what’s that adorable little smile for?” 

Pepper’s eyes studied the teenager. Peter couldn’t wipe the smile off his face if he tried. 

“Remember Liz?” He’d talked to Pepper about Liz, and she’d seemed quite interested about his crush. 

“Hm, that pretty girl you’re crushing on?” 

“I’m not- yeah, I guess. Yeah, her,” Peter’s smile brightened, “I asked her!” 

Pepper studied him a second longer before a she lit up in a similar grin, “you finally asked her?” 

“She said yes!” 

Pepper had been trying to talk him into asking Liz to homecoming for a while now. Since he first accidentally mentioned his _minor_ crush on the Decathlon captain at dinner one evening. 

“She’d be dumb not to say yes to you,” Pepper teased, ruffling Peter’s hair lovingly, “good job, honey.” 

“Pepper, I don’t know anything about this!” Peter realized, eyes widening, as he shot the woman a terrified look. “I don’t, I mean, I haven’t, I’ve never taking a girl out, I have to, to do it right-” 

“Relax, sweetie,” the woman laughed, “I’ll help you. Why don’t you and I head out tomorrow after school to get you a new suit?” 

“Really, I mean, I don’t really have the money, and I don’t want to waste your, or, or Mister Stark’s money-” 

“Nonsense,” Pepper gave him a small smile, “besides, you’ll need a suit at some point or another. Tony’s a formal man, something he’ll drag you too will need to be business casual; I should know.” 

“Oh.” Peter frowned. It was logical. There was bound to be something that he’d need to dress up for. “Alright.” 

That next day after school, Pepper was waiting in the parking lot at Midtown for Peter. The domesticity of it all was nice for Peter. Someone (besides his foster father’s driver) waiting outside for him. Pepper wasn’t flaunting money like Tony usually did. She had a nice car, of course, but it wasn’t over the top. Plus, no one would really notice her for Tony Stark, they’d just see a woman waiting for their kid in the parking lot. 

Suit shopping had been a task. Peter just let Pepper do as she pleased and dress him up like a doll. In the end, to his dismay, they walked out of the shop with three brand new suits for him. 

Peter picked out one tie to go with his new suits, a dark blue one. He liked it, it was silky and the colour was pleasing. 

\---- 

Homecoming day came faster than Peter expected. Everything was flying by. 

Pepper helped Peter get ready. It was the closest Peter had felt to having a mom in years and years. It was... nice. Different, but in a good way. 

“I can’t find it!” the teen panicked, tossing his bedsheets and tearing the things hanging in his closet out, in near hysterics. 

“Can’t find what?” Pepper asked as she appeared in the doorway, frown on her face as she watched the anxious boy rummage around. 

“My tie,” the boy whined, “it’s gone, Pepper. Oh my God, I’m going to look like an idiot! Who loses a tie-” 

“Shh, relax, Hun,” Pepper laughed, cupping Peter’s cheeks to get him to look at her, “Tony’s got like a million ties. I’m sure he won’t mind you borrowing one.” The woman grabbed the teen’s hand, rubbing her thumb over the top of his hand in a calming motion. 

Peter hadn’t been in Tony and Pepper’s room in the penthouse. There really wasn’t any need for it. Plus, it was weird to snoop around their room. The rest of the penthouse was fair game, but looking through their bedroom was a huge invasion of privacy and was very against his morals. No matter how badly he wanted answers, he wouldn’t stoop that low. 

The room was spacious, and a big bed sat settled against the wall. A bedside table on each side and lamps on each. It was nice, and basic, and... familiar? 

Peter’s nose scrunched up in thought as he looked around the room once more. It was very familiar, but he wasn’t sure why. He’d been here before, definitely, but at the same time, he really hadn’t. 

Peter watched, shuffling his feet anxiously as Pepper opened one of the closets. It was filled to the brim with suits, probably at least a million dollars' worth of suits. Since the billionaire had quite expensive taste. 

The teen’s eyes raked over each suit, freezing as his eyes caught sight of one that... stood out. He knew that suit. He knew it well. 

That suit, hung on the door of the closet, separated from all the others hung in a perfect line. Was the suit that the man from his dream had been wearing. He’d know it from anywhere. It was engraved in his mind, like no other dream he’d ever had. 

Peter gasped as a sharp flash of memory filled his mind. It was him, and Tony. Going to get ice-cream. The day had been nice; the weather a perfect mix of sun, clouds and heat. Perfect for a stroll around the park and some cool ice-cream. 

It was his dream, almost exactly as before, except when the boy looked up at the dark-haired, faceless man, Tony’s face was there instead. A small, fond smile on the man’s lips, and his usual sunglasses. 

When Peter blinked out of... whatever that had been, Pepper’s hand was on his shoulder and her face showed nothing but concern and worry. 

“Are you alright, sweetie?” She steadied him by her hold on his shoulder. 

Peter wobbled, regaining his movement of limps fast and forcing a nod. 

Holy shit, he’s called Tony _daddy_. 

_Peter had called Tony freakin’ Stark daddy_. 

“I...” Peter eyed the suit, swallowing hard before forcing a smile and nodding his head, “I’m all right. Just. Just got a little dizzy for a second there, I guess. I’m okay.” 

Pepper didn’t look convinced, and he really couldn’t blame her. He was spacing out so hard right now. 

“Did, uh, did Mister Stark have any navy ties? Oh- I need to get Liz’s corsage too-” and just like that, Peter had Pepper back on the trail of Homecoming. 

He’d fret over his dream-memory-thing later. Right now, he needed to be a normal teenager, getting ready to take a pretty girl to Homecoming. 

Pepper helped Peter finish getting ready. She tried to teach the teen how to tie a tie, but she couldn’t. Her fingers just worked along the fabric, without her even noticing she was moving too fast and that it was hard for Peter to follow her movements. 

They ended up watching an instructional video on YouTube, but Peter couldn’t help but wish Tony was there to teach him. Which brought back the weight of guilt in his stomach. 

Pepper dropped Peter off at Liz’s house, whispering words of encouragement to the shaken teenager. Peter had never been so out of his comfort zone, huffing out panicked breaths as his feet led him up the front steps of the house Liz had hosted her party at. He waited for Pepper to drive away before lifting his hand to knock. 

As he waited, he took one more calming breath, plastering what he hoped was a confident smile and waiting for the door to open. 

And when it did, Peter’s breath caught, and he swallowed hard, eyes trained on the face of none other than Adrien Toomes, or, the Vulture if you wanted to get technical. 

_Parker freaking luck_. 

\---- 

_He knew_. 

Oh God, Toomes _knew_. 

Toomes was Liz’s dad. And Liz talked about Peter. And she talked about Spider-Man and God, the bad guy knew who he was. 

Peter remained quiet, feigning innocent as Toomes told his daughter to go ahead and go inside. Peter squeezed his eyes shut as if sending a telepathic message for her to not leave- but she did, and Peter let out a breath. 

The talk had been terrifying. Death threats were really something, weren’t they? Peter was terrified. The man told Peter his plan, and the teen was practically shivering with nerves, anxiety and noticing just how fucked he was without the Spider-Man suit. 

He hightailed it out of the car when the villain was finished, the man driving away almost as soon as the door slammed shut behind Peter. 

Peter had a couple safe options. Forget what the man had told him. Enjoy Homecoming with Liz. Finally be the kid he never could be. 

But he couldn’t. 

Not in good faith. 

Toomes was planning to take Tony’s plane down. The man wanted all the Avenger’s knick-knacks and stuff. That plane was worth more than an average human-being would see in multiple lifetimes. 

And Peter just couldn’t watch it go. 

Tony loved all the Avenger’s things. He’d made most of them. Blood, sweat and tears went into each one and Peter knew this. Tony would be devastated if anything happened to the plane and its precious cargo. 

And the teen would not let that happen. It didn’t matter if he was kinda mad at Tony. It didn’t matter that the man was still awkward around him and sorta avoiding him. Tony had been there from him since they first met- the second time around. And he’d do anything for his dad- er, his _foster_ dad. 

It was heartbreaking to have to just leave Liz. He’d been chasing after her since high school started. Since he first laid eyes on her his freshman year. And she looked so sad. 

But he needed to do what was right. And what was right, right now, was taking down her father and keeping Tony’s possessions safe. 

The teen shoved through the crowds of dancing kids, searching for the last thing he needed before grabbing his old suit and web shooters from under the lockers and getting on with his mission. 

Peter needed his guy in the chair- and Ned was more than happy to finally be of assistance again. 

\---- 

Racing around Queens in Flash’s fancy car had been a highlight of Peter’s night. It wasn’t every night he got to borrow something like this from the guy who called his ‘Penis Parker’. So, what if he trashed it by accident, because duh, foster kids did not have the money for driving lessons (okay, maybe he felt a bit guilty). 

Ned was trying to get in contact with Happy, who Peter was supposed to call in case of emergencies. And Peter didn’t really want Tony worried about this, or, worse, Pepper knowing what he was doing. 

Plus, Happy’s was the only number Peter had memorized, since sometimes he needed to call the man to pick him up when he lost his backpack (and phone) as Spider-Man. Tony’s was always in his phone, as was Pepper’s. 

That, was a flop, when the man assumed Ned was lying- since Happy had never met Ned before- only Tony had. Peter scoffed as he dropped the phone he was on onto the passenger’s seat beside him after saying bye to Ned. Happy probably thought it was a prank call or something. 

The boy huffed another breath, hiking up his sweatpants and stepping in to find the man in charge of ruining his evening. 

\---- 

His vision was fuzzy as it slowly came back to him. He moved to sit up, only to realize he was pinned. 

There was a building on him. 

A whole building. 

Peter was under the rubble of a whole building; a whole warehouse. 

And it _hurt_. 

It was an intense pain like none he’d ever felt before. Everything hurt. From his legs to his arms to his head. 

His hood had fallen, and his mask lay in the pool of water below him. He was lodged tightly between concrete and debris; limbs _aching_. 

He cried, and screamed. Begged for Tony, or Pepper, or Happy, or hell, even _Ned_. For anyone who could help him. But no one heard. No one came. 

Peter was ready to accept fate. To accept death by building, because that was one hell of a way to go. 

But then he thought about Tony. And how happy the man had been in his dream. His small smile as Peter called him daddy. And he thought of Pepper, her smile wide as she laughed with him in the kitchen over dinner one of the nights they were alone together. He thought of his friends, all cheerful and beaming at him as they each answered a question at Decathlon practice. 

And then he looked at himself. 

His reflection in the water; his bruised and battered face. 

And the Spider-Man mask, goggles staring up at him in such a determined way that had him pushing with all his might. Shifting his body and using every ounce of Spider-Man super strength- because that wasn’t in the suit. It was all Peter. 

He wasn’t going to let these people who loved him down. 

Rubble fell around him, and Peter managed to squeeze his way out just as everything dropped down. A puff of dust and rubble wafted up as everything tumbled further down, but Peter just stared in pride, reaching down to gather his mask into his hand with a pained grin. 

He limped out of the rubble, sore and aching. Wishing this was the end of his night, and that he could just go home and cuddle with Pepper and Tony. 

But he’d walk this off, because he owed Toomes a visit. 

\---- 

Crashing the plane was on Peter’s list of regrets. Coney Island was looking worse for the ware as flames engulfed the beautiful sand. Pieces of metal lay torn and tattered, but most of the Avenger’s stuff looked intact. 

The flames around him were hot; charring pieces of Peter’s suit, as well as his skin beneath. Painful and definitely going to take him out of commission for a while because _everything_ hurt. 

And then, Peter remember Toomes. 

He’d hit his head in the crash, at least he thought he had. It was pounding and felt like three of that one migraine he’d had when he found the Lego dinosaur in his closet combined. 

Toomes emerged from the flames like something out a horror movie. The man was attacking hard, like he hadn’t just been in the same plane crash Peter had. Swoop after swoop. 

The man knocked Peter back and the next thing the boy knew; his enemy was standing on top of him. 

Vulture’s talons pierced through Peter; his chest and stomach, and another wave of intense pain coursed through him. He gasped, blinking hard before rolling over and shakily pushing himself to his feet once more. 

The man’s wings were going to explode. And no matter how many times Peter tried to tell him this, the winged villain just kept swooping in for an attack. 

Peter struggled to web the man’s wings. To ground him before he blew up, along with his costume and alien powered wings. 

The blast had been harsh, momentarily blinding Peter who was up with the man. He got them both safely to the ground. Well, they fell, but Peter had been keeping them pretty close to the ground. 

He was in a world of pain. Nothing had felt like this before. He’d been shot, and stabbed. Broken bones and had internal wounds, but it felt like he was _dying_ \- and _maybe he was_. 

He managed to get up though, heaving dry pants and swiping the sand covered burns that were his arms across his face to wipe the tears away. 

Slowly but surely, Peter gathered everything from the plane crash. Gasping in pain whenever something took a little more effort to move and put a bit more of a strain on his aching everything. Toomes was still passed out; not a super human, and it really showed. Dumb bad guy. 

When everything was in a nice pile for Happy to collect (since Peter didn’t want anything catching on fire, and he certainly didn’t want Happy fishing around in flames for the goods), the vigilante webbed Toomes up, who was slowly regaining consciousness and webbed him to the heap. 

The man frowned, not opening his mouth as Peter slapped a note with messy scrawl (and maybe some blood on it) against the man’s chest. He’d called the police from a nearby payphone when he had everything stacked up (though he was sure the fire and plane crash would have probably been reported by others first) and he could faintly hear the sirens. 

He’d lost his mask somewhere in the mess of... well, of _everything_ , and he really wasn’t in the mood to be questioned about why his suit had been downgraded anyways. So, he left. Pulled himself up onto the Coney Island sign, and waited out of sight. 

Lights flashed and sirens screamed emergency services arrival. 

Peter knew he should be leaving, that he could be getting home- he was bleeding after all, by four deep, painful puncture wounds. _But he was so tired_. 

Maybe he’d just _rest his eyes_ for... for a second. 

And so he did; eyes slipping shut and the world around him _silencing_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, Peter's finally starting to remember! This chapter was mostly just some more Pepper and Pete bonding, as well as me bringing the dream from Chapter 7 (I think) into play (see, I had things planned :P). This also wraps up the end of writing the film, but as I'm sure you guys can imagine, next chapter will be a doozy (small mentions of SMH) with the angst of upset parents!
> 
> As usual, please leave me a comment! They mean the world, and I really enjoy seeing what you guys think, and your thoughts of everything! <3
> 
> Until next time~


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, yay!
> 
> Hi, so, I had like no time to write this week (I hope this is satisfactory). My best friend (whom I haven't seen in four years) is staying at my house for a couple days while my parents ditch me for Las Vegas. Also, it's my birthday today! :D Wanted to have this ready for today so I can do some celebrating with my parents when they get home tonight. 
> 
> I'm a legal Canadian adult now! 
> 
> Anyways! Enough about me, you're here for the story!  
> Do enjoy~

The ring of Tony’s phone forced him from his dreamless sleep. He was perched at one of his workshop tables down in the Compound. A mug of ice-cold coffee was half full beside him, apparently doing him no favors in keeping him awake. 

He could practically feel the indents on his face from falling asleep on top of one of his new thrusters; pieces scattered along the table. 

A second shrill ring of his cellphone drew him from his thoughts. He leaned over to look at the caller ID, eyebrows furrowing as Pepper’s name flashed along the screen. 

“What’s up, Pep?” the billionaire yawned. He scratched at his head, elbow dropping down on the counter tiredly and chin falling into his cupped palm; eyes blinking closed. 

“Did Happy call? Oh God, Tony,” her tone forced Tony wide-awake. His eyes fluttered over to the clock on the wall, it was two AM. 

This couldn’t be good. 

Anxiety spiked Tony’s being as he attempted to even himself for his hysteric girlfriend. Which he could honestly say, he rarely saw. Pepper was always calm, and level-headed, so this had to be something terrible. 

“No, he didn’t, why, Pepper? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” then, he gaped in realization and continued hurriedly, “is _Peter_ okay?” 

The sob from her was all he needed. Peter was not okay. 

“What’s going on, Honey? I need you to tell me. What’s going on?” the pet name slipped, but Tony prayed it would calm her down. He needed every piece of information he could get, and if Pepper couldn’t talk through her sobs they were going to have a problem. 

“He, he, never came home, Tony,” the woman cried, “t-the plane, Happy said, Peter, he, he, left a note at the scene. But he never made it home.” 

Tony shook his head, mind thrumming with confusion and dread. 

“What... what happened to the plane? I thought Peter was at Homecoming... he, why isn’t he?” then, the man froze. His blood felt like it froze in his body, because _he_ had the Spider-Man suit. “Peter... he doesn’t have the suit.” 

Tony’s mouth and throat were dry, words dragging up like sandpaper. Whatever had happened, Peter wasn’t in his suit. But he’d been there. 

“Call Happy,” Pepper sobbed, “I... I can’t, Tony. Call him. Bring Peter home. Bring him home, _please_.” 

“I will, Honey,” the billionaire hushed, reigning in his own nerves for her sake. They exchange quiet goodbyes, and heartfelt ‘I love yous’. 

By the time Tony had Happy’s number dialing, he was already in a suit and on his way back to the city. If he really pushed the suit, he could be there in just under fifteen minutes. 

Happy picked up on the first ring, sounding out of breath. 

“Boss,” 

“Happy, what’s happening?” 

“The plane, it went down. The Vulture guy. He’s uh, he’s in custody. Peter had him webbed to the cargo off the plane. Kid saved it all, Tony.” 

“Where is Peter?” 

“I don’t know, he wasn’t here when I arrived. Toomes won’t any anything. There’s, there’s alotta blood here, Tony. And Toomes ain’t bleedin’ much...” The billionaire squeezed his eyes shut, trusting Friday to get him safely to where the plane went down. 

“The plane,” Tony questioned, eyes still closed, “where’d it go down?” 

“Coney Island. The place’s a mess, Tony. I don’t... I don’t know where Peter’s gone. He couldn’t have gotten far.” 

“Don’t underestimate him,” Tony snapped, “that’s what got us into this fucking mess. God, why is he such a good kid? Any other kid would have just gone to the stupid dance, spiked the punch bowl and headed home when the night was over. But not Pete. Peter who decided to fight a super villain in sweat pants and a hoodie.” 

The line was silent for a second. The only tell that Happy hadn’t hung up was his breaths on the other side of the call. 

“Just... keep an eye out. Get all the Avenger’s shit loaded and back to the tower.” 

“Right, Boss,” Happy answered, voice quiet. Tony ended the call, gasping at the shock of anxiety pulsing through him. Why had he taken the stupid suit? Peter had been Spider-Man long before having the safety of the suit, why had he thought that the kid wouldn’t just return to his old suit? His fucking onesie getup, that had nothing to keep him safe. 

_He’d_ striped his only connection to the boy, the lifeline that kept him updated and the safety of Peter’s A.I away from the boy. 

And now Peter was missing. He was injured to an unknown degree, he’d most likely been in a plane crash and, once again, he was _M.I.A_. 

By the time Tony arrived at the scene, he was about five minutes later then he’d calculated. 

The crash site was well on its way to being cleaned up. Crime scene tape boxed in the mess but there were still those onlookers who stood and watched. 

A quick glance around, showed nothing from everyone’s favorite vigilante. Tony blew out a breath, flying a little higher over everything for a bird’s eye view. 

He thought of places Peter would have gone. Maybe Ned’s. Back to the school. 

If he was banged up, he wouldn’t have returned to the school where his teachers and classmates could see him, and Tony knew Ned would have contacted someone. If he couldn’t track the suit, maybe he could track Peter’s phone. 

Wait, had anyone tried calling Peter’s phone? The man breath a curse as he had Friday call Peter’s phone. 

To his surprise, it picked up on the second ring only, “Hello?” that’s not Peter’s voice. 

“Ned,” Tony greeted albeit disappointed, “is Peter with you?” 

“Mister Iron, I mean, Iron Stark, err, Mister Stark. No. I haven’t... I haven’t heard from Peter since he hung up. I had to track down his phone before anyone found Vulture’s car with it in it. But Peter wasn’t there.” Ned paused for a second. Tony went to question him further, but the teenager continued first, “that was like five hours ago though. Is he... he’s alright, right?” 

Tony hesitated. 

“I don’t know. Is there anywhere Peter might have gone? If he’s not home, he’s not with you and he’s not at the school?” Panic was raising quickly and Tony wasn’t sure how to feel about this. This definitely trumped the fear he was feeling with the ferry boat incident. 

“I don’t... No, there’s nowhere else he would have gone. I’m sorry. He would have... It’s not like Peter to just disappear, Mister Stark. I’ve known him for years. He’s, he’s not okay if no one’s heard from him.” 

The billionaire swallowed hard, because he knew it wasn’t like Peter to just disappear. 

“If you... if you hear from him, call me. Or Happy. Call someone.” Tony took a steadying breath, “all the numbers are in his phone; I assume you have his passcode?” 

“Yes, Mister Stark. I promise I will.” Ned spoke hurriedly, “you’ll find him... right?” 

“I’m trying, Kid.” And with that, the billionaire hung up. He swore loudly. No one had seen Peter. Not Pepper, not Happy, not his best friend. And Peter was not one for going off the grid. The kid tried to keep everyone in the loop- especially his little friend. 

The man scanned over the grounds of Coney Island once more, having Friday look for heat signatures. Everything looked normal- until a weird signature was caught on the Coney Island _sign_. 

Tony tried not to get excited, flying closer only to have all excitement wiped away as he gaped at Peter. His goggles mask was gone and the red and blue costume growing a coppery red by the minute. 

The kid was unconscious and he was bleeding and he had been for however long, and _oh god_. Peter’s face was bruised and scraped, and burns lined Peter’s arms and shins. 

“Peter, Bud, you need to wake up,” the billionaire's hand fell over a prominent wound on the kid’s chest, “c’mon, baby, wake up. You need to open those bright eyes.” 

Peter needed urgent care. Like _yesterday_. 

The man scooped the heaped pile of Peter into his arms, blinking back tears. 

“Friday, alert Cho we’re coming in. Urgent emergency. Have a team ready.” 

“Right away, Boss.” The AI’s robotic voice replied, sounding more sympathetic then he’d ever hear. “Cho has been alerted; a team is being assembled.” 

With a blast of the thrusters, Tony’s hold on the teen tightened and they were off. Peter had to be okay. He couldn’t live with his kid almost dying again. One thing was for sure though, they’d have to pry Peter from his cold dead hands this time around. This kid wasn’t getting away again. 

\---- 

The building was well lit, wide windows opened everything up to natural sunlight. He was in a long corridor, multiples of doors leading off into unknown rooms. All were closed, and locked; even with his super-strength, he could make any budge. 

Peter didn’t remember waking up. He didn’t remember falling asleep. He was just... there? 

He didn’t know where he was. Where was this place, and why was he here? 

His steps were slow as he walked carefully down the hall. He wasn’t sure what to expect from the eerie atmosphere of the abandoned hallway. 

Peter’s eyes snapped down the hallway when someone spoke, “I look like Mi’ser Stark today!” 

Mister Stark? Was he here too? 

Peter’s steps were hesitant as he walked in the direction of the voice. Nothing else could be heard. Every room he stepped passed was eerily silent. 

“You do, goodness. I can hardly tell the two of you apart!” A new voice laughed. A woman’s voice. Maybe... it was Pepper? 

It was definitely Pepper. Her voice lit up Peter’s body because he wasn’t alone. Pepper was here too, and his steps quickened. 

The first voice, smaller and more childlike continued on about a pair of sunglasses. Ones that supposedly weren’t as cool as Mister Stark’s and Peter had to agree that no sunglasses could compare to Mister Stark’s A.I glasses. 

Finally, Peter reached the end of the hallway. The room was bright, lit up with florescent light bulbs. The room was spacious, and now, Peter knew where he was. The windows and the layout of the room, identical to Pepper’s office at Stark Industries. 

There was three people in the room. Pepper, Mister Stark and a child. A small boy dressed in a nice suit and a pair of what looked like Walmart or Target sunglasses. The boy was young, as far as Peter could tell. He had a head of curls and a cute little smile as he stared adorningly at the adults in the room. 

A conversation via Pepper and Tony’s eyes flying straight over the kid’s head. 

“Mister Stark, Pepper!” Peter grinned, thankful to see them here too. His hand reached out to grasp the man’s sleeve, but his hand fazed right through Mister Stark’s arm. Neither looked at him, instead at the child. Peter stepped back, mortified. 

What the? 

“You know, Peter,” the teenager bristled, inching backwards. His eyes shot to Pepper, but Pepper was not looking at him. Her eyes were on the child, and the kid’s eyes stared intently back, from behind the sunglasses. “Mister Stark has a few pairs of those... In fact-” Peter’s eyes darted from Pepper, who was now riffling around in a drawer to the boy bouncing in his seat. 

Peter. His name was Peter. This kid, hanging around with _the_ Tony Stark and _the_ Pepper Potts, was Peter. 

Peter’s hands moved to cup his temple as a pain shot directly through his brain. His groan was quiet as his eyes never left the child. 

That was him. This was child Peter Parker with Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. This was Peter before the foster system fucked him over. And before he became Spider-Man. This was Peter before Mister Stark _gave him back_. 

“-here’s another pair.” Peter’s eyes were back on Pepper as she pulled out another pair of glasses, just like the ones perched on the bridge of Tony’s nose. 

Peter watched as the kid’s eyes, or, maybe his eyes? Lit up in excitement. He made grabby hands at the eyewear in Pepper’s hand. Pepper’s smile was wide, almost like how she looks at him today. 

“You can have these ones,” Pepper grinned, as Peter’s little hands ripped the glasses off his face that couldn’t have costed more than four dollars. When the cheap glasses were on the desk, Pepper handed Peter the ones she had. Peter watched himself stare at the glasses in awe, like they were the most precious thing he’d ever seen. 

He was quick to slip them on his face, crooked; but utterly adorable. Tony, nearly silent for most of the conversation, now stepped forward to correct the tilt, titling the glasses in the opposite direction so they were straight on kid Peter’s little face. 

“Now you look even more like Mister Stark,” Pepper laughed, sitting down in her chair again. The billionaire snorted a laugh, eyes staring down at kid Peter who wasn’t focused on anything but his new glasses. The look was soft, possibly the softest Peter had ever seen from the man. 

Their conversation continued on, but Peter couldn’t help but stare at the glasses perched on his younger self’s face. 

Those glasses... he had those still. They were in a box at Ned’s house, in his closet. 

He had those glasses. 

It was hard to keep anything nice when you’re always packing up and being dropped with new families with other children with no respect for other’s belongings. But the pair of fancy sunglasses had been something he’d always subconsciously wanted to remain intact. He never knew where he’d gotten them, but he kept them close to himself and protected them as if they had some deeper meaning. 

So, he decided to hide them away somewhere where his foster siblings couldn’t find them, and where he could never lose or move without them. 

He’d forgotten all about the box buried in the depths of Ned’s closet. It had been years since he’s seen it. Out of sight, out of mind as they say. 

Another sharp thrum of pain in his head, had Peter looking up. 

He was no longer in the office, instead a conference room. Business-y looking people were seated around. Talking and conversing whatever people in meetings like this usually talked about. 

At the end of the table, looking bored out of his mind, sat Tony. And beside him, a tab bit more invested in the meeting, Pepper. 

He didn’t see himself anywhere. Maybe it was a new day? 

Tony was zoning out. Peter almost laughed, because he’d never seen Mister Stark look like this. So bored and unwilling to participate. And it was a bit hilarious. The man’s eyes were directed out the window, casually ignoring everything going on in the room. To Peter’s surprise, they snapped back into the room when the door opened suddenly. 

Peter’s eyes followed the billionaire’s gaze, and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of little Peter in the doorway. His eyes welled with tears, seconds away from overflowing down his rosy cheeks. Peter watched himself scan the room before his eyes landed on the CEO and billionaire. 

Then, little Peter was off, weaving himself around the table and chairs filled with businessmen. A wailed cry of, ‘Mi’ser Stark’ filled the surprised silence of the room. 

Mister Stark was talking to little Peter, but Peter could only focus on what little Peter was doing. His cheeks flushed brightly as he watched little him drag himself into Mister Stark’s lap and curled into a ball. His eyes darted around the room, gaging everyone’s reactions to the scene. His flush was now to his ears. 

When the kid was secure in the billionaire’s lap, his uncurled his hand from where he’d been holding it protectively to his chest. Peter winced, looking down at his own hand where a scar he’s always had stung painfully. 

It matched up perfectly with the cut on little Peter’s hand. Peter watched as Tony took little Peter’s hand into his own, lifting it to examine the wound. Another round of blushing lifted to Peter’s cheeks as little him buried his face in Tony’s suit. 

Tony looked alarmed at the amount of blood. Someone, an intern or something, rushed into the room, explaining what Peter had done to injure himself. The teen watched, baffled as the billionaire stood, little Peter secured in his arms, with his forehead resting against the billionaire’s neck. 

_“Peter?”_

Then they were gone. 

And everything faded to white. 

\---- 

Tony’s steps were quick as he paced in Peter’s hospital room. His eyes would occasionally shift to Pepper, who was perched delicately on the edge of Peter’s bed, simply running her fingers through his sweaty curls. 

It was late afternoon now. 

It had been one hell of a day. 

Peter was in terrible condition, or, had been when he arrived. Four deep puncture wounds on his chest and stomach, a bruised liver, mild internal bleeding, four cracked ribs and two broken. He had second degree burns on his forearms and shins, a fractured ankle and cracked collarbone. As well as, possibly the most concerning; a pretty bad concussion and head wound. 

Throughout the day, the boy had gone through two surgeries. The first, when he arrived at three AM that morning, was to stop the internal bleeding, clean the deeps wounds and stitch everything up. The second, later in the morning, was to align his ankle. 

The boy was already on his way to healing. His fracture hadn’t been as bad as the first time he’d come in with a broken bone, so Helen didn’t need to give Peter the medication that paused his healing, which was a blessing. Peter need all the help he could get right now. 

The burns lining his limbs, were thankfully clearing up slowly and it was looking like he wouldn’t need any skin grafts, which the billionaire breathed a quiet breath at. 

Peter’s ankle was in a cast; white and dull. It wasn’t healing as fast as last time, but it was slowly but surely mending back together. 

His arm was in a sling, but Cho assured that it could come off by that evening. 

There wasn’t much to be done about his ribs, just letting them heal. They wouldn’t puncture anything like his lungs, so there wasn’t much to worry about there. 

Peter’s surgery wounds were already unbandaged and fading from angry red to healthy pink. 

His head wound had been the first thing to clear up, but Pepper couldn’t seem to stop touching where the scar sat below Peter’s hairline. And he couldn’t blame her. 

Peter’s face was no longer darkened by bruises, instead a healthy (a tad bit) pale. 

They wouldn’t know the effects of the concussion until Peter woke up. Doctor Cho had been informed of Peter’s previous head wound and she had her team watch the teenager carefully. 

Peter, as Helen informed them, could wake up at anytime. Both Pepper and Tony refused to leave the room, not while the boy was so injured. Tony would not walk away from the door again. He wasn’t leaving his kid again. 

The billionaire sat himself on Peter’s other side, watching Pepper’s hand card carefully through Peter’s hair. Her thumb would drag over the new scar on his head, but the touch was feathery. Tony eyed the boy slowly, hand settling over Peter’s still right hand that was resting on the bed. Peter’s left hand, curled into his chest and strapped by the sling holding his collarbone steady. 

The boy’s skin was a calming warmth, which reminded the billionaire he was alive. 

Not that he could really calm down. 

He was still hyped up on adrenaline. This whole ordeal had been a mess of emotions for the billionaire. 

He was heartbroken. 

Having to tell Pepper that Peter had been dying. Pepper had cried, and clutched around him. Her face buried in his shoulder and her breaths stuttering in panic. 

Finding his boy, unconscious and bleeding. Trying to wake him up, but getting nothing at all. No sound, no flutter of eyes, only a lull of his head as Tony’s hand settled on his unconscious form. He’d had to carry his boy home. Then, he had to hand him over. Put Peter’s life into someone else’s hands. 

He was angry. 

At himself, for letting this happen. For taking the suit and banning Peter from Spider-Man. For not remembering that Peter was Spider-Man with or without the suit. That he hadn’t heard of the situation earlier- hell, he’d been asleep while Peter was bleeding out one top of the Coney Island sign. 

At Happy, for letting this happen. For not watching the plane closer. The man had wanted to do it, so Tony let him. He let his friend be in charge of the move- because he himself didn’t want to. He’s mad that Happy had hung up on Ned, when the teenager was trying to update him on Peter. 

And even a tiny bit mad at Peter, even though the kid didn’t deserve it. He was mad that Peter had risked his life for useless Avenger’s knick-knacks. That Peter felt the need to throw himself into this fight, completely unprepared for it, just to save the things on the plane. 

He could live without an older version of Cap’s shield, or some of Natasha’s gun- he really had no use for the old models of Clint’s bows, or books upon books of Thor. 

He could live without all of that, but he couldn’t live without Peter. _Not again_. 

He was guilty. God, was he guilty. 

This was all his fault. He’d taken away Peter’s suit. He’d thought he was teaching the boy, when really, all he was doing was stripping away Peter’s only defense. And his own sanity. Had Peter been in the suit, he would’ve gotten the boy’s location, as well as updates about any injury. He could’ve had Peter out of there before anything had happened. 

He’d caused Pepper unimaginable grief. He knew she thought of Peter as her own son. They’d been bonding for weeks now. Peter looked at her with fondness, and the billionaire could see it. She’d been the first to realize Peter hadn’t come home. She sent him off to a school dance and he comes home hours and hours after his curfew, barely alive. 

And that’s on him. Tony could take full responsibility for Peter’s well-being. It was his fault the boy was hurt. It was his fault that Pepper was hysteric over just how injured their kid was. 

The billionaire withdrew his hand from over top of Peter’s, feeling like he didn’t deserve to comfort himself with the boy’s warm, alive hand. He dropped his head into his hands and just took a stuttered breath. 

What a mess. 

\---- 

It was maybe an hour later that Peter began to stir. The boy’s eye lids fluttered, but didn’t open, and his mouth curled into a tiny frown that looked more like a tired pout. 

“Peter?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this! I'll be back with another update soon. 
> 
> I've got a couple more things planned for this fic, but I now have an endgame in mind for when the time comes! 
> 
> Please remember to comment! Comment anything you wanna see happen, and I'll try to make it work. Comment your thoughts and opinions about the chapter, or some constructive criticism. Everything means so much to me, and keeps me motivated to finish this!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, and I look forward to see you guys in the next update! <3


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Happy November!
> 
> I don't know what to say about this chapter, so, y'know, enjoy!
> 
> *Also, I can't for the life of me remember Helen Cho's personality, so bear with me!*

_“Daddy?”_

The voice was quiet, possibly even a bit scared. Tony was floored as he stared at the teenager. Peter’s brown eyes blinked owlishly back at him. 

In the next second, Peter tilted his head, then squeezed his eyes shut. He looked younger; curled in the hospital bed sheets and cheeks a flushed pink from the medications being administered via IV. 

The billionaire wasn’t quite sure what to do. What to say. The near silent plea from the boy had his heart thumping dangerously in his chest in affection, as well as an opposite feeling of dread filling his chest. 

He couldn’t think up any excuses as to what the boy had called him, or why he’d called him it. Peter had called him Daddy again, and it had his heart soaring. He’d gotten a drugged up dad before, not it had been years since Peter had called him daddy. 

“H-hey, Pete... How’re you feeling, Bud?” 

Peter watched him for a second, then his eyes shifted around the room. 

“Where’s blankie?” Peter’s little voice called. The pitch was off from regular teenager Peter, and it had the cogs in the billionaire’s head turning. 

“Blankie?” Tony questioned, mouth dry. He blinked back at the boy, trying to make sense of everything, “blankie’s... blankie’s in your room, Bub.” 

Peter’s lip poked out in a pout that was too cute to be on a teenager, “I want him.” 

“Right,” Tony nodded, “of course, I’ll go get blankie for you.” _And maybe a doctor or two_. Tony moved to step out of the room, but a cry from Peter had him freezing in the threshold. 

“N-no, can’t go!” Peter whined, throwing his blankets off to get off the bed. 

Tony rushed back to the boy, pushing him carefully back into the bed as he spoke panicked, “no, no, Baby. You’ve got to stay in the bed. You were... you were in an accident. You’re okay, you just have to stay in your bed.” 

“Want blankie though,” Peter’s eyes teared up. He let Tony position him in the bed, making sure his sling was laid out and not causing him any discomfort. 

“I...” Tony started at a loss, “I’ll call Pepper. You remember her, right?” Peter nodded his head carefully, “perfect, she can go grab your blankie then. Is there anything else you want?” At this, Peter shook his head. 

Instead of calling her, and risking Peter hear the sheer terror in his voice over the situation, he sent her a flurry of texts, each more panicked then the last. She agreed to grab Peter’s pale green baby blanket from his bedroom and come as fast as she could. 

He then, pressed the nurse button on Peter’s bed that would hopefully bring someone who knew what the hell was happening to them. 

A nurse was the first to come in, one Tony didn’t know. 

“You’re awake,” she smiled at Peter, to which the boy stared at her for a second before turning his attention to Tony. 

“He uh, he’s... maybe we should talk in the hallway?” 

The nurse blinked at him before glancing at Peter and agreeing. “I’ll be right back, okay, buddy? You’ll still be able to see me through the window? That good?” 

Peter looked like he wanted to decline, but he gave a small nod of his head instead. 

It was so much weirder explaining Peter’s current mentality to the nurse, then it had been to Pepper over texting. She also looked a bit concerned, and Tony pretended not to see it. 

“I’ll get Doctor Cho in here as soon as possible. Everything will be fine,” the nurse managed a small smile. Tony nodded. He watched the nurse depart, then turned to move back into the room and sat in the chair beside Peter’s bed. 

It was a few minutes later that Helen Cho walked into the room. She gave Peter an examination, giving him a small smile Tony had never seen the woman give anyone. 

When she gestured for the billionaire to follow her into the hallway, the man hurried after her, after giving Peter a reassuring smile over his shoulder. 

“His injuries are healing well,” Helen said after a second of them just staring at each other. 

“What about, the, um,” Tony choked out, not quite knowing how to address whatever Peter was doing. 

“Age regression?” Helen supplied, when Tony nodded hesitantly, the woman continued, “age regression is not very common with head injuries- or, at least like Peter’s doing. Although, as I’m sure you know, everyone is different when it comes to healing. 

“I personally haven’t had a patient regress, but it’s just the brain trying to sort itself out. Peter’s been through some traumatic things in his life, and I can say I’m not too surprised by the regression.” 

“Will it... is it permanent?” 

After a second of thought, Cho shook her head, “I’d say no. From papers I’ve read and consults I’ve had, Peter’s brain is just regressing to a point in his life he thinks is safe as it repairs itself. He’s in a state of mind where he remembers being happy and content, and that just so happens to be childhood years.” 

“How long do you think he’ll be regressed?” 

“It’s hard to say really,” Helen cupped her chin between her thumb and index finger, “his enhanced abilities throw me for a loop, I’d guess it could be anywhere from a couple hours to a week.” 

Tony’s mouth formed a ‘o’ shape, leaving his wordless in the hallway. _A couple hours to a week_. 

“That, of course is the best-case scenario.” Helen continued, “in cases where this has happened before, some patients are left regressed anywhere from a week to a couple months, and in a few cases, maybe even for life.” 

“ _Oh my God_ ,” Tony gaped, “ _dear God_.” 

“Relax, Mister Stark,” the doctor patted his shoulder with a small smile, this a little more playful then the one she’d given Peter. 

“Don’t tell me to relax! Peter could be permanently age regressed! I love that boy, but that’s a lot to take in, God what are we gonna do? _His friends_ , God, _his education_!” 

“Please, Mister Stark,” Helen laughed, “don’t worry, I stick by my word. I’ve already started noticing him showing signs that he’s coming out of the regression. A couple hours at most.” 

Tony let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. That was a weight off his chest, and it felt like he could breathe again. “You could’ve led with that,” the billionaire glared. 

“I could’ve,” she agreed with a smile, “I just wanted to give you the full picture.” 

“Noted,” the billionaire huffed, frown deep as he stared at the woman before him, “and scarred. Please remind me why you’re on my payroll?” 

“I’m the best in my field, and you’re lucky to have me.” 

“Right.” The billionaire scoffed as he stepped back into Peter’s room. 

\---- 

By the time Pepper arrived at Peter’s room, little green blanket in tow, Peter had dozed off. 

The billionaire was seated on the bed beside the kid, running his fingers easily through Peter’s hair. Peter was curled close into Tony, his head resting on the side of the billionaire’s chest; his breath even. 

When the door creaked open, Pepper’s face had peeked in, and her face morphed to that weird one woman get when they see a puppy, or kittens or maybe even a baby human. That ‘aww’ face, that had Tony scowling at her. 

“Say nothing,” the billionaire reminded her, saving himself from embarrassment. Yes, he knew Peter was adorable, and he’d gotten roped into petting the boy’s hair back. But who in their right mind, could say not to this kid? 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pepper smirked softly, moving into the room and sitting slowly in the chair Tony had been sitting in the majority of the day. “Here.” 

Tony took the blanket from Pepper’s outstretched hand. 

The blanket was just as soft as that first time he’d touched it way back when Peter was little. It was actually surprising. The colour had only faded a little, but it still smelt the same as well. Like Peter. 

The billionaire pulled away from Peter just enough to tuck the blanket over Peter’s torso, so it was barely touching his cheek. Almost immediately, Peter curled tighter into Tony, grabbing a fist full of his blanket and bringing it up to hid his mouth and nose in. 

Tony’s mouth twitched up from his neutral expression to a tiny smile as he resumed carding his fingers through the boy’s curls. 

“He’s very cute,” Pepper’s voice was slight, as she leaned over to stroke the backs of her pointer and middle finger up and down Peter’s cheek. 

“He is,” Tony agreed, staring down at Peter’s face, smooshed in the little blanket. Peter looked basically the same. His face a tad bit more masculine, but it was just like looking at eight-year-old Peter Parker. And the pale green blankie wasn’t doing him any favors in the grown-up area. “Cho said the regression isn’t permanent. Said he’d be regressed for a couple hours at most, and that she already saw signs of him coming out of it.” 

“That’s good,” Pepper hummed, eyes trained on Peter. “Did she say anything else?” 

“Other than basically giving me an aneurism? No, not much.” Pepper raised a questioning eyebrow, but didn’t actually question it. She really didn’t want to know, and Tony didn’t want to share. 

\---- 

When Peter woke up, the first thing he noticed; was how dry his mouth was. He opened his mouth, and his tongue uncomfortably stuck to the roof of his mouth, leaving a very unpleasant taste in his mouth. His eyes shifted around the room, a bit blurry and he was finding it hard to focus. 

The second thing he noticed; was how unbelievably bright the room was. His eyes squeezed shut. 

“You okay, baby?” 

“What?” Peter sat up abruptly; eyes shooting open, but incredibly unfocused. He was staring at the body seated on the chair beside his bed, but the light in the room finally won, and his eyes fell shut once more. “God, too bright.” 

“Shh, it’s okay, Pete,” Tony said softly, and then the man was moving. The lights were shut off, and the curtains drawn closed in a matter of seconds. When the room was nearly dark, except for the stream of light from the hallway, Peter finally relaxed back into the mattress, opening his eyes slowly. 

“You called me-” 

“Slip of tongue,” Tony waved it off, and had Peter been more conscious of everything, he’d have seen the flush rising onto the billionaire's cheeks. “Meant to say bud, sorry, Kiddo.” 

Tony refused to admit he’d been calling Peter baby the whole time the boy had been regressed. It just slipped off his tongue, and with Peter’s mentality in shambles for that period of time, he couldn’t be bothered about what he was calling his kid. 

Plus, how was he supposed to know Peter would be out of the regression? It had only been two hours since Cho’s visit. 

“Uhm, okay,” Peter said finally, giving the billionaire a curious look. The name had heat rising to Peter’s cheeks, but it also felt... right. No one called him that. But as right as it felt, it was still a bit weird. A bit. "Can I have some water?"

"Of course, Bud," Tony was on his feet and striding towards that hospital table thing, where a pitcher and a plastic cup sat. "Here," the man handed him the plastic cup of cool water. 

Peter took the cup, taking a couple little sips to get rid of the awful taste in his mouth while avoiding looking at the billionaire in fear he’d see how much Peter had like the pet-name. Peter’s eyes gazed around the room, really anywhere that the billionaire wasn't. Finally, after giving the room a once-over, his eyes fell to his lap, where his blankie was sitting pooled in his lap. 

A new round of head lit up Peter’s cheeks as he snapped his gaze to the billionaire. The man was watching him closely. 

“What’s my blankie- I mean, my _blanket_ , what’s my blanket doing down here?” 

A smile lifted to Tony’s face, “you requested it, Kiddo. Pepper went all the way to your room to get that for you.” 

Peter sputtered in embarrassment; he had no recollection of that. When... what? 

“What do you mean?” 

“Maybe later,” Tony shook his head, “I think we should talk about you right now. Like, why you would, let’s see, go after the vulture guy after I _specifically_ told you to leave it alone. And, not only that, you went after him _without_ your suit, while, _while_ , Pepper thought you were safe at your Homecoming dance?” 

“I didn’t plan on it,” Peter stressed, wincing as he moved to cross his arms across his chest. Tony winced with him, settling his own hand on Peter’s slinged one. His collar bone was being finicky and not heal quite as fast as everything else. “I promise, I had no intention of going after him... but then, Pepper dropped me off at Liz’s, you know, that girl I was taking to homecoming, and her dad was the Vulture!” 

Tony surveyed the boy for a second, not speaking. Peter took that as his que to continue. 

“He told me his plan, and I couldn’t, Tony, I couldn’t let him do that to you. He wanted everything off the plane, and he was so close to actually getting it. I mean, if I hadn’t of crashed that plane, he would’ve had all your stuff. And he was going to sell it.” 

“I don’t care about that shit on the plane, Peter,” Tony frowned. When Peter looked utmost devastated, Tony backpedaled quickly, “I mean, I do, I care about it all, but I’d much rather him succeed in stealing the plane than you take it down and almost die in the process.” 

“But I couldn’t let him get it.” 

“And that was noble of you, but do you have any idea how scared we were?” Tony paused to let the rhetorical question sink in, “When Pepper called me at two in the morning, sobbing, that you weren’t home almost five hours after your dance ended? 

“When Happy told me that you left a note at the scene of a plane crash and you were nowhere to be seen? 

“Calling your cell and instead of getting you, getting your friend Ned, who hadn’t heard from you since you ditched the phone you were using in that asshole’s car that you stole and crashed?” 

“Okay, that sounds really bad, but I really had to save your stuff. And I was really planning on coming home when it was over, and The Vulture was webbed up for Happy and the police, but I guess I passed out or something.” 

Tony frowned at the boy, but Peter continued, “you would have been sad if that stuff was stolen. I know we were fighting, and kind of avoiding each other, but I wasn’t going to let him do that to you.” 

Tony’s frown deepened, but when he opened his mouth to respond, the door opened. Pepper pushed the door open, blinking in surprise at Peter staring at her. In her hands were three sandwiches and under her arm, two bottles of juice. 

“Hi, Honey,” she smiled at the boy in the bed. “You good?” 

“I’m fine,” Peter flashed a small smile. 

Pepper’s eyes turned to Tony, raking over him before scowling, “you’d better not be scolding him. He’s barely awake, Tony. Give him a break for a few days before we start badgering him about his terribly thought out choices,” she shot the teen a look that had him shrinking into the pillows. 

“Just talking,” Tony raised his hand in surrender, giving Peter a pointed look. 

“We’re good,” Peter agreed, flashing Pepper a grin. 

“Good. Now we’re all going to eat a sandwich, and then we’re going to get Doctor Cho back in here to check Peter over after the little episode he had earlier. I want to be better safe than sorry this time around.” 

“What episode?” Peter asked as he took a bite of his sandwich. 

\---- 

Mildly embarrassed was what Peter was. After having Doctor Cho explain that he basically regressed back to eight-years-old, talking and acting like a child, had Peter squirming in emotions. 

So, that’s why Tony had called him baby when he’d woken up. It also explained blankie’s presence on his hospital bed. Despite everything though, having his blankie beside him was keeping him calm. 

Nobody teased Peter for the regression, and all promised to keep it under wraps, thankfully. Everyone had a similar dopey smile talking about it though, Tony’s probably the fondest. 

After that, Peter had been given his phone by Pepper, who explained that Happy had gone to pick it up from Ned’s as soon as he was stable. His phone was blown up with messages from Ned, MJ and one (that made him sad) from Liz. 

“Hey, can Ned and MJ come visit tomorrow?” Peter looked up. He gave his best puppy eyes to the billionaire who also looked up from his phone. “They’re really worried about me and want to check in.” 

Tony took a second before responding, clearly thinking it over carefully. 

“I suppose,” the man nodded. “You’ll probably still have the cast,” Tony’s eyes flickered to the white cast on Peter’s leg, “but everything else should be basically cleared up by tomorrow afternoon.” 

“Awesome,” Peter grinned. 

Peter sent Tony’s agreeance to the group chat he had with Ned and MJ, where he got elated (or as elated as MJ gets) responses from both his closest friends. 

He stared at his phone for a second, before opening Ned's contact profile and typing out a quick little message. 

_‘Hey, think you can do me a favor?’_

_‘Of course, whatever you need!’_

Ned's rapidly fast response had Peter smiling. Ned was such a good friend. A grin slipped on the teen's face as he typed his next text-

_‘Can you bring that box, you know, from your closest with you tomorrow?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember I am not a medical professional and I have no idea about anything medical (since Google can only take me so far). I didn't have the first part of this chapter planned, but I guess I lead into it in the last part since some people commented about the age regression happening. 
> 
> I thought it would be cute though, so I added it. Plus I love seeing Tony Stark squirm with things he doesn't understand.
> 
> Please remember to comment! Each and every one means the world and inspires me to keep writing. Like most online writers, what you guys have to say about everything, really encourages us to write more! Thoughts, opinions, guesses on what the next part'll be like, your own ideas and constructive criticism; all very welcome!
> 
> Anywhoo! See you guys in the next update!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Another new chapter for you guys. 
> 
> I don't know how well I wrote MJ in here. She's got a personality that's pretty hard to get right. Maybe I made her a bit too snarky, but all my friends are snarky, so, y'know. Also, everyone is just friends in this story, even though I know MJ & Peter are canon now. Pete's still into Liz in this fic. :P
> 
> Please do enjoy!

The following day, waiting for the arrival of his saving graces (MJ and Ned) Peter was bored. 

He was bored of the bed. 

He was bored of the white walls. 

He was bored (and annoyed) with the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor still attached to his arm. 

His morning had been a colourful splash of visits; Tony and Pepper stepped in periodically, sitting with him, talking to him, then leaving again because there was apparently some backlash with the Toomes incident, since the plane had been Tony’s. Rhodey, whom he’d only met the one time in Mister Stark’s lab, stopped by for a quick visit on his way to work and even Happy came up to see him (Happy had brought him a cute little stuffed bear, and Peter was oddly touched by the man’s thought process). 

As nice as having everyone concerned about his well-being was, they still weren’t the best company. Not that he didn’t enjoy their company- because he did. He loved them all visiting and checking in on him, but they weren’t who he really wanted to see. 

He just really wanted his friends. Ned especially, because he needed to tell his friend some serious things he’d figured out in the last few days. Ned was the only one who understood like Peter did. Who knew everything, or, as much as Peter himself knew. 

And that box Ned had promised to bring would help. He couldn’t wait to get it in his hands, and hold those glasses again. 

Peter was alone in his room when there was a timid knock on his door, followed by the door pushing open and MJ’s face coming into view. 

“I told you he would be alone,” she called over her shoulder. 

“No, Mister Hogan told us he would be alone, it’s just common curtesy to knock. What if Peter was naked or something?” 

MJ seemed to think this over for a second before glancing back into the room, eyeing Peter before turning back to Ned, “no, he’s decent.” 

“Guys,” Peter called, voice raising an octave in his discomfort as a, way too familiar at this point, flush lifted to his cheeks, “of course I’m decent. It’s a medical wing, doctors and nurses keep coming in and out, not to mention Mister Stark and Pepper frequenting the room.” 

Despite Peter’s embarrassment of his friends talking about whether he’d been naked or not in his room, a bright smile lifted onto his face at the sight of the two shoving into the room. 

“Looking rough there, Parker,” MJ mumbled as she sat on the edge of his bed. 

“Oh, that sucks, because I’m actually looking a lot better than I was,” Peter laughed, “must’ve been terrible when I came in then.” 

“Are you alright?” Ned asked as he slowly settled into the chair Tony had spent the majority of the night in. Pepper had managed to catch a few hours of rest on the couch off to the side of the room, but Tony had been insistent on staying right by Peter’s side. 

“I’m alright now.” Peter promised, flashing his friend a smile. He knew Ned knew a lot more then MJ did, and his concern was valid. Ned had basically been a huge part in the scheme of things and it wasn’t really right that Peter had pulled Ned into all of this, then left him hanging when everything went to shit. 

“So, what happened?” MJ asked, “I mean, Stark’s driver didn’t say much.” 

“Happy?” Peter raised an eyebrow, “yeah, Happy doesn’t talk much. And not usually about me. I didn’t know he was driving you guys up here?” 

“Mister Stark sent him, Miss Potts called both our parents last night to arrange it,” Ned informed. 

“That’s nice of them,” Peter chewed on his bottom lip in thought. There was a small part of Peter who thought this was the billionaire doing anything he could to make Peter feel better, since he hadn’t been keen on allowing Ned to come to the tower at first. And MJ, whom he’d never even met before, was also here. That was a lot of trust for Tony Stark. 

Peter knew Tony was probably feeling guilty over everything, as he’d gathered from their conversation after waking up yesterday, before Pepper interrupted them and scolded Tony. 

“Hello? Parker? What happened?” MJ tapped Peter’s blanket covered knee, but it was just a bit too low and managed to hit the cast plastered just below his knee. The cast drew in her attention, and she jerked her hand back just as fast as she had made contact with it, as if Peter had somehow been hurt by it. Ned stared down at the now noticeable hill of blanket, worrying his bottom lip and frowning at Peter’s face. 

“It wasn’t too bad,” Peter explained slowly, drawing in both their attentions. Ned sent him a suddenly amused expression as Peter opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, attempting to come up with something that would quiet MJ’s curiosity. 

He could tell Ned the truth of it all later, since Ned already knew the broad of everything and the most important little detail many did not know. “I just kinda... fell down the stairs at school. Something, y’know, came up and I couldn‘t stay with Liz. Called Mister Stark after I fell and all that, cause he’s my guardian- I don’t know if you knew that, MJ. But... yeah. Couple bruises and scrapes.” 

“And the cast?” she raised a curious eyebrow. 

“It's just a really bad sprain; it was mostly a precaution. Since everyone knew I’d try to be up and walking on it. It’s kept me grounded in bed... mostly cause no one’s given me crutches too move. Tony said it can probably come off before school, so long as I don’t do anything to overexert myself.” 

“Smart,” Ned laughed, grinning at Peter with a knowing look. 

“So, why’re you still in the hospital then?” 

“Oh, I hit my head pretty hard. Did some weird stuff when I woke up, I guess. Not that I remember. Had everyone worried and now they’re watching me pretty closely in case I do anything weird again. Mostly another precaution,” Peter waved it off, wincing as he rolled his still hairline fractured collar bone. 

“He had a bad head injury when he was little, and everyone thinks if he gets a good knock to the head it’ll jumble his brain,” Ned explained to MJ, who had still looked concerned. 

“But I’m fine though,” Peter promised. “My brain’s not jumbled yet.” He flashed them a smile. “’sides, this hospital ain’t that bad. Mister Stark’s got good food here, and everyone who comes to visit brings me little gifts or snacks.” 

“Well, that’s good. At least you’re comfortable here.” Ned managed a smile, eyes shifting to the side of the room, then back to Peter’s face. 

Peter’s eyes flickered to the little bear perched on the hospital table off to the side, then back to his friends, “yeah, and, not to mention how nice everyone is. The doctor here, Doctor Cho, keeps coming in and telling me some of the cool Avenger’s injuries stories she has. She was their doctor before, you know, before the Accords and all that.” 

“Lucky,” Ned whined, “I wanna hear cool Avenger’s stories from someone who’s met them.” 

“Stark’s met them,” MJ reminded as she stared interestedly at Peter’s casted leg. 

“Well, yeah, but-” 

“He turns into a blushing school girl when he’s here,” Peter interrupted, flashing Ned a teasing smile. MJ snorted a laughed as she dug through her backpack. Peter hadn’t even noticed she’d brought it. 

“Anyways!” Ned said loudly, scowling playfully at Peter, “I brought your shoebox of treasures. I don’t even remember what you put in here.” Ned held the shoebox out. It had been one of Peter’s foster father’s shoe boxes. The man had huge feet, so the box was big enough to hold all of Peter’s precious belongings. 

“Mind if I draw on your cast, Parker?” Peter’s attention snapped from the black shoebox in his hands, to MJ, who was holding a plastic container of fine point felt pens. 

“Yeah, sure, MJ.” Peter nodded, pulling the thin blanket off his legs and shuffling himself to the edge of the bed so she had easy contact with the blank canvas of a cast. 

“Wait! I wanna sign it before she takes up all the room,” Ned called, standing from his chair, then kneeling on Peter’s bed and leaning over his legs to pluck a navy-blue pen from MJ’s pack, despite her scowl. Ned scribbled his name, drawing a quick Spider-Man symbol to get a rise out of the one in the cast. 

Peter snorted a laugh when he saw it, giving his best friend a grin. MJ watched the two with raised eyebrows, then looked down at Ned’s scrawl and sad attempt at a drawing. She narrowed her eyes in thought before nodding to herself and picking out a marker to start her creation. 

With MJ distracted, Peter flipped the shoe box open and grinned to himself. Memories filled his brain as he looked over each little knick-knack he’d wanted to preserve, all holding memories. 

“Woah, Dude,” Ned gaped, sitting back on Peter’s bed and reaching into the box to grab a small piece of plastic. “This is the Lego figure from the first Lego set we did together- or, well, your first Lego set we did together.” 

“It is,” Peter beamed. He’d gotten the Lego set for his birthday, from Ned and his family. They’d been friends for a couple months at that point- Peter not yet having his own bed at Ned’s house. “I still don’t know where the Darth Vader went. Luckily I saved Skywalker.” 

“You guys are nerds,” MJ teased, glancing up momentarily before looking back down at her creation. She was draped over Peter’s casted leg, and neither boy could see what she was drawing. 

The boy’s brushed her remark off with a laugh, then continued picking through the contents of the box. 

At the bottom of the box, wrapped in a couple tissues, was the pair of sunglasses from his dream. They still looked the same, not a scratch to be seen on them. 

“Woah, I don’t remember you having those,” Ned leaned closer to observe the glassed. Even MJ glanced up, gave Peter an impressed look before resuming her work. 

“That’s ‘cause I never wore ‘em,” Peter explained, “I mean, these glasses are worth a lot of money, and I never even knew where I got them.” Peter stopped himself there, giving Ned a look that said ‘I’ll tell you all the details later’ since Peter couldn’t have a smart girl like MJ piecing everything together. 

“Put them on, Loser. Let’s see what that money looks like on your dorky face.” 

Peter narrowed his eyes at MJ, who only gave him a playful grin. 

“You’re lucky we like you even with all your mean names for us,” Ned scolded her playfully. 

“Friendshippp,” Peter called sarcastically, but with a bright smile. 

The teenagers laughed, grinning at one another. Their friend dynamic just worked. 

The bedridden teenager quickly cleaned the glass of the glasses with the tissues they’d been nestled in before slipping them on his face. 

An intense wave of memories hit Peter when the glasses touched the bridge of his nose, making his heart monitor spike twice before settling down again. 

“You good, man?” Ned asked first, hand on Peter’s shoulder as the teen cradled his head. 

“Good, Peter?” MJ asked as well, leaning forward with what could only be concern. Peter noted her use of his first name, but didn’t mention it. 

“Yeah,” Peter flashed a smile, reaching up to touch the frames of the glasses, “I’m fine. Mini headache. Happens sometimes.” Peter explained, and when he got nothing but concerned and narrowed eyes in return he added, “I’m pretty sure it’s the pain medication.” 

That seemed to put his friends to ease. 

Peter looked back and forth between them, and both looked surprised. 

“What?” he asked hesitantly. Could he no longer pull the glasses off? He’d been pretty cute in them when he was younger, but maybe he grew out of it? 

“It’s nothing... those just... I mean...” Ned gestured aimlessly. 

“Looking pretty sharp there, loser.” 

“They look good on you.” Ned finally found his words, “I’ve... I don’t know, I’ve seen those before, I think.” 

Peter reached up to touch the glasses. 

As he did, the door swung open and the three teenager’s attention shot up. 

Stood paused in the doorway, was Tony Stark. The man’s eyes trailed from MJ to Ned. 

“Oh, hey, Kiddo. I didn’t think your friends were coming until late-” the billionaire froze completely when he made eye contact with Peter. The man’s jaw dropped, and his eyes kept darting around Peter’s face before freezing on his eyes- or the area around it. 

Peter opened his mouth to question what the man was doing, but then he remembered; _the glasses_. He hadn’t meant for Tony to see them yet. It didn’t seem like a conversation that they should be having with MJ and Ned around. 

Peter’s eyes shot to Tony’s face, his own jaw falling open when he noticed the _identical_ pair of glasses on the billionaire’s face. 

The glasses, were not an everyday thing. Mister Stark probably had a couple pairs specially made, because Peter had never seen a pair of glasses like these. 

Peter hastily pulled the glasses off his face, folding them and dropping them into his lap. 

“Mister Stark,” Peter called weakly. The billionaire had about a million emotions passing through his face. He took a small step back, shaking his head before giving the trio a grin. 

“I’ll be down in the lab. Pepper’ll be here to check on you in about an hour. Just...” Tony gestured to nothing, taking another, slightly larger step back, “shoot me a text when your friends go home, ‘kay?” 

“Sure, Mister Stark.” Peter gave a half smile. 

The man was gone just as fast as he appeared, his own glasses being swept off his face as he turned from the door way, “good to see you, Ted. And you too, uh, MJ.” 

He was gone before either could mutter the same curtesy. 

Peter started at the space Tony had been standing, feeling dread pool in his stomach. He didn’t mean to give the man a jump-scare like that. He had things planned out. How he was going to bring it all up- how he was going to whip the glasses out and as his questions about _everything_ confidently. 

Because maybe, if Peter showed he was piecing things together, or even scared the man a bit about how he was getting his answers with or without Tony’s help, the man would give up and just... just _tell_ him. 

“Well... that was.... yeah.” MJ blinked. 

“Wait a second, how come he knows MJ’s name? I’ve known him longer!” Ned gaped, shooting his attention to Peter. That, as ridiculous as it sounded, shocked Peter into a bout of hard laughter. 

“I don’t know, Ted. Maybe because she doesn’t swoon over him.” 

“Rude!” 

\---- 

It was an hour later that MJ had to leave. But Peter knew it was just because Pepper was there, and offered walking them out if they wanted to leave, since Happy was outside having just dropped her off. MJ had this weird woman crush on Pepper, almost like Ned’s man crush on Mister Stark, but MJ could at least be civilized about hers. 

Ned declined the offer politely after Peter gave him a pointed look. His dad could come pick him up anyways. 

After that, Peter explained everything to Ned. His night as Spider-Man, without the suit. The excruciating pain he’d been in. His weird age regression thing (of course leaving out the Daddy part because that was weird to admit, even to his best friend). He told Ned about the dream- or memory that reminded him of the glasses. 

He put his head in his hands as Ned looked the glasses over, turning them around between his fingers. 

“So, these are Stark’s?” Ned asked slowly. 

“Yes, well, they _are_ mine. Pepper gave them to me, and Tony was in the room. I just... I never remembered where I got something amazing like those, Ned.” 

“Well, so what’s the problem? I mean, you and Mister Stark both did the same thing when you noticed each other’s glasses?” Ned mumbled thoughtfully as he passed the glasses back. “I mean you both legit froze, and no one said anything for like a solid minute.” 

“I panicked!” Peter huffed, “I had a plan, Ned.” Peter explained hastily, “I had a plan. I wanted to, I don’t know- get some answers! I mean, no one tells me anything, and then I get these like, intense headaches when I touch or see something from when I was here. I’m just sitting around like an idiot, touching things and almost collapsing with the meaning behind the object that I don’t even know!” 

Peter whined, dragging a stressed hand through his hair. He took a breath, calming himself a little and steadying his voice, “I’m trying so hard to remember, Ned. These secrets, how am I supposed to trust them when there’s clearly something no one’s telling me? I mean, you didn’t see us in that dream. He looked at me like I was his entire world, and I just... I don’t believe he just handed me back. Not anymore.” 

Ned worried his bottom lip. “You’ve got to talk to him.” 

“I’ve tried,” Peter crossed his arms across his chest. “He brushes me off. I thought the glasses might, y’know, guilt him into talking- at least a little. But he’s seen them now.” 

“Listen, my dad’s outside to pick me up. Text Mister Stark. He probably wants to talk. Call me later, when you’re alone. Let me know what’s going on, okay?” 

“I will,” Peter waved him off. Ned stood, patting Peter’s leg as he went. 

“Good luck.” 

Peter said nothing as he waved. He watched as Ned left the room, frowning to himself now that he was alone. 

He sent the text Tony wanted, then leaned back in the blankets. He pulled his blankie from where he’d properly hidden it behind his pillow. Ned knew of blankie, and had seen him a lot when they were younger. Plus, Ned wouldn’t say anything, since Peter knew of the stuffed dragon the other kept under his pillows, but it would be utterly embarrassing for MJ to see. 

He deeply inhaled blankie’s calming scent as he waited for Tony. Peter thumbed absentmindedly as the glasses resting by his side, frowning at them as well. 

The billionaire was still not wearing his glasses when he shuffled into Peter’s room nearly twenty minutes later. Tony gave Peter a soft smile when he saw the teen with his face hidden in his blanket. Peter allowing himself to be vulnerable around him, made the billionaire’s heart stutter in his chest. 

“So...” Tony stepped slowly in the room, sitting in the chair. His eyes fell to Peter’s bedspread, then traveled to his cast, which was no longer a dull white, but covered in colours and drawings. “Oh.” 

Peter’s attention snapped to Tony’s then followed the billionaire’s gaze to his cast. There, drawn carefully across the length of the cast was each of the original six Avenger’s sketched in MJ’s unique style. Peter grinned down at it, heat filling his cheeks. Below Ned’s scrawl and failed attempt at the Spider-Man emblem, was an actual Spider-Man mask drawing. 

“This is... I mean, it’s good,” Tony said. 

“MJ’s awesome, isn’t she?” 

“I’d say so,” Tony agreed, producing a sharpie from his pocket and scrawling a signature below the neat sketch of himself. Peter stared at the sketch of Tony, narrowing his eyes at the glasses on the drawing face. The same ones hidden behind his thigh and the same ones probably hidden in Tony’s pocket, or thrown on his desk in the lab. 

“The glasses,” the man said slowly. “Where did you get those?” 

“From you.” Peter said firmly. “I went to Stark Industries, and I wanted to look like you. Pepper gave them to me,” Peter admitted, picking up his own pair and handing them to Tony. "Unless you mean how I got them here, then I got them from Ned's closet, he brought them today. I stored them away so I wouldn't lose them like two years ago."

“That... yes. That’s where you got them. How do you... do you remember it?” 

“Yes.” Peter said quickly. “But that’s... that’s all I remember, Tony. I only get these little memories every once and a while. It’s not enough. Why won’t you just tell me what happened?” 

“Pete...” Tony put his head in his hands, “I can’t. I’m sorry.” 

He couldn’t. He couldn’t tell Peter everything. The boy would hate him. He’d given the kid up for selfish reasons. He gave Peter back because he couldn’t raise him. He _thought_ he couldn’t raise him. He gave him up because there was no fucking way he’d be like Howard Stark. He wouldn’t do that to a kid. Not to Peter. 

“I can’t. I can’t, Peter. Please, why won’t you leave this be?” 

“It’s my life,” Peter narrowed his eyes, blanket falling from his fingers, “it’s my life and no one takes my opinion into consideration. I should get to know. I was... I was there. _I should know_.” 

“No, Peter,” Tony said sharply. “You are the child here, and I am the adult. I can’t tell you, and you have accept that. I’m sorry, but I can’t. What does it matter, anyways? You’ve lived for five years without knowing, so why do you want to know so bad now?” 

“Because I saw how you looked at me!” Peter gritted his teeth, using the same sharp tone Tony used, “I saw how you looked at me when Pepper gave me these glasses. I saw how you looked at me like I was everything to you; like I was your blood child and could do no wrong. No one’s looked at me like that. Not that I remember- but you did. You did for that whole month, and then it was gone. It was just...” Peter took a stuttered breath, “ _gone_.” 

“It wasn’t gone,” Tony swallowed hard, mind moving a mile a minute. “You couldn’t stay with me.... you couldn’t. Trust me, Kid. If I... If I could’ve..." Tony trailed off thoughtfully, but then he snapped back, "No. This conversation is over,” Tony handed the glasses back to Peter carefully. “I am sorry, Peter. This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen when I took you in. This is far from what was supposed to happen. I just... Nevermind. I’m sorry I did this to you, Pete, I really am. But you can’t know. Please, I need you to let this go.” 

Peter watched silently as the billionaire stood. “I’ll be back later. I’ll... I just need a while. Text me if you need me, okay?” Mister Stark both looked and sounded like he was about too... like he was going to cry. 

Peter gave a shallow nod, his own teary eyes watching the billionaire leave once again. He bunched his blanket in his arms, rubbing his cheek against the soft texture. 

He couldn’t stop. He was too close now. Peter’s finger traced lightly over the framed of the glasses he’d set in his lap. He was just missing so much. Why wouldn’t the man just tell him? 

With a sigh, Peter squeezed his eyes shut. Heart heavy and mind processing everything slowly. He’d never seen Mister Stark almost cry... and he actually felt kind of _bad_...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down. We're getting closer to the end, but I'm still unsure how many chapters they'll be. Peter's starting to get closer to what he seeks, and Tony's starting to freak out. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed! As always, comments greatly appreciated! Thought, opinions, predictions on what'll happen next and constructive criticism are all very welcome! <3
> 
> See you guys next chapter! It will definitely be out within the next ten days (I have given myself a procrastination limit). Thank for reading! C:


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another new chapter! Yay!
> 
> I made a school field trip chapter because I wanted too and no one can stop me. I love Stark Industries field trip fics, so I made my own. I hope you guys like it too :)
> 
> Anyways, continue on to anxious Peter and overprotective Tony! And some Flash being a dumbass.

Peter didn’t see too much of Tony for the rest of his stay in the med-bay. Well, the man was there, but only while he was asleep. Peter couldn’t help but think he’d maybe broken something between himself and the billionaire. 

He was simply curious. He needed to know. 

And if that meant... if it meant destroying his relationship with Tony in the process... The teen shook his head. Surely, he couldn’t ruin their bond simply by asking questions. 

Peter’s leg still wasn’t one-hundred percent alright. The fracture was taking a while to heal. Spider-Man had been a no-go for a week now, and he still had a brace on his foot. 

It was a pain, but at least Pepper and Tony weren’t making him use crutches. 

Peter had been able to return to school Monday, where MJ and Ned mothered him. Or, Ned did and MJ hid smiles at Peter’s exasperated huffs. 

“Alright, Decathlon team!” Peter looked up from the textbook in front of him towards Mister Harrington, who had a grin on his face. “I’m sure we all remember our big Decathlon win-” 

“The win before we all almost died?” Flash asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Well, that, uh, yes. The Washington Monument incident was... it was after that, yes...” Mister Harrington looked down momentarily before back up with a nervous smile, “that’s not the point. Everyone’s fine.” 

The students blinked at the man, who cleared his throat and continued, “...anyways, Stark Industries has invited us to a tour of the building and the labs as a congratulations for our win!” 

Peter’s attention snapped to MJ, who looked just as confused as Peter did. _Oh, no. That’s not good._

“CEO Pepper Potts spoke on the phone to me directly, and everything has been sorted out. I have permission slips for each of you to get signed by a guardian. This will be the full day on Thursday, and lunch is included.” 

“Well, isn’t this great, eh, Penis?” Flash sneered, “gonna show us all around your fake internship, huh?” 

“The internship is real,” Ned growled. 

“Yeah, of course, and I totally have a date with black widow. We’re going strong now, after that first date.” 

“Parker does have an internship,” MJ monotonously added into the conversation, “I mean, he’s been seen with Stark- do none of you guys watch the news or anything? But your relationship with black widow, Flash, is strictly in your head.” 

The bully scoffed, “whatever. We’ll see how buddy-buddy with Tony Stark Parker actually is.” 

Peter threw his head back with a groan. How could they do this to him? 

\---- 

Peter decided to not even give the permission slip he’d been given to Tony or Pepper. He’d gladly stay at school for the day while the others toured around Stark Industries. 

Peter went out with the team Thursday morning to see them off. He played the part of being upset that he’d forgotten to get the slip signed, and Mister Harrington looked genuinely upset with the news. 

“Well, Peter, you know we can’t bring you off school grounds of you don’t have a guardian’s permission.” 

“I do,” Peter sighed dramatically, “I wish I hadn’t of forgotten.” 

It was then, that Principal Morita walked towards them, hurrying along. 

“Peter, I’m glad I got to you before the bus left. Your guardian called me this morning to give you permission to attend the field trip.” The man clapped Peter on the shoulder, giving him an over enthusiastic wink. 

Peter groaned inwardly. _Of course, they had._

“Isn’t that great!” Mister Harrington chirped, “Peter, you can come now!” 

“Yay,” Peter gave the man an overly happy grin moving away from his teacher and principal who were now talking seriously to one another. 

“Fan- _fricking_ -tastic,” Peter huffed under his breath as he stepped up the bus stairs. 

“Oh, look,” Flash grinned first, having spotted him, “Parker’s coming along after all. Good, I was worried that we wouldn’t get to see where you work _with Tony Stark_.” 

“Maybe Peter can introduce us to Tony Stark, eh, Pete?” Abe grinned. Peter knew Abe was just generally curious about the billionaire and not playing into Flash’s teasing. 

“I don’t think he’ll be there,” Peter shrugged, running through what he knew of the billionaire’s schedule. 

“Because he’d know.” Flash scoffed. “You just keep up with this lie, Penis. Truth’s bound to come out.” 

Peter huffed a breath, flopping down on a vacant bus seat in front of Ned and MJ who were sitting together, as Flash turned back to some of their peers. MJ and Ned had known about his plan to not attend the field trip, and both looked surprised to see him on the bus. 

“Don’t worry about Flash,” Ned leaned over the seat, patting Peter on the shoulder. 

“What happened, Parker? I thought you didn’t bring in your permission slip?” 

“I didn’t,” Peter sighed, tilting his head to look back at his friends, “but Pepper or Tony called in to give me permission.” 

“That sucks,” Ned sympathized, “I’m kind of glad you’re coming along though, wouldn’t have been the same without you, Peter.” The smile on Ned’s face was almost enough to bring Peter’s sour mood up. 

“Ditto,” MJ shrugged. 

“Well, we’ll see how this goes,” Peter sighed, slumping back against the bus seat. 

\---- 

The bus ride was uneventful. There was the usual chit-chat associated with friends and bus rides. Ned and Peter were talking in hushed voices a bit more about Peter’s situation with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. MJ was sketching in her notebook, as she usually was. She showed a rather realistic one of Flash, but the sketch was picking its nose. Now that actually did make Peter laugh. 

Flash said nothing more about the internship, but Peter knew he was just saving up to embarrass Peter at Stark Industries. 

When the bus arrived outside Stark Industries, the team loaded off trailing as a small group into the lobby. 

“Good morning!” the receptionist greeted with a smile, “Midtown High, I presume?” 

“Yes,” Mister Harrington stepped forward to the counter, leaving the teenagers to talk amongst themselves while things were sorted out. 

The other receptionist was staring at Peter, head tilted. The teen stared back. It was the same two receptionists that had been working when Peter had ditched school because of his broken arm. When that clicked in Peter’s brain, he ducked behind Ned. 

This was such a terrible idea. 

“Good morning Midtown Decathlon team!” A friendly voice chirped. Peter looked to see a young woman standing beside Mister Harrington. She was maybe in her late twenties, dressed business-y and had an air of cheerfulness. “My name is Jessica Tremblay and I’ve been an employee here at Stark Industries since completing my internship in 2010. Today, though, I will be your class’s tour guide.” 

No one said anything, so the woman continued, “Stark Industries prides itself of the security measures it takes to ensure the safety of all that staff. We’ve had the head of security, Harold Hogan, print you each a visitor badge. You can keep these; they’ll all be deactivated as soon as you exit the building.” Jessica started handing out badges, calling out names for people to collect their new badges. “Please make sure that your badge can be seen at all times. Security won’t hesitate in escorting you out if you can’t identify yourself.” 

When all the cards were handed out, Flash’s glare turned to Peter, “excuse me, but Peni-ter- Peter,” Flash bit his own tongue, “Peter didn’t get a badge?” 

Jessica looked up sharply, eyeing Peter carefully. “Peter?” She asked slowly, studying him. She seemed to shake herself from her stupor and slap on a smile. “There was no Peter on my list, but that’s no problem. Sometimes people get missed on the list. We’ll just have to clear everything with Mister Hogan, and he can print you a badge.” 

_Oh, dear God._

Peter hadn’t anticipated on seeing anyone from his personal life here. How had he managed to forget that when he wasn’t driving Pepper or Tony around, he was the head of security at Stark Industries? 

Jessica kept on talking, a bit about the rules the students would have to follow, as well as some background of the building. Peter trailed along slowly as Jessica talked on, leading them to security. 

Peter shied away when he saw Happy standing and waiting. Jessica stepped up to the man, whispering something to him, and then Happy’s attention snapped to Peter. Peter, threatened by the situation, gave him a small half wave and a nervous smile. 

“Parker,” he greeted over the chatter of the excited students. Then, everyone’s attention was snapped to Peter, who shuffled his feet. “don’t have your badge?” 

“No, I, uh,” Peter stepped to happy, shuffling his wallet out of his pocket, “I have it, Happy.” Peter pulled his card, flinching at the bright red ‘all-access’ label printed along the top of his badge. Jessica looked momentarily surprised where she was standing behind Peter, but she recovered quickly. 

Peter could hear the murmur of his classmates; _‘did he just call Mister Hogan, Happy?’ ‘How does Peter already have a badge?’_

Happy stared at Peter for a second, the clapped him on the shoulder, “you know the drill. Pin it, step through.” Happy waved Peter through the metal detector. 

Peter did know the drill. He did as told and stepped through. 

“Good morning, Peter,” Friday greeted. 

“That’s Friday, the artificial intelligence who runs the entire building. Tony Stark build Friday and she resides at the Avenger’s Compound upstate, the Avenger’s Tower in the city and, of course, here.” 

There was some ooh’s and aah’s from Peter’s peers. 

“Shall I alert Boss of your arrival?” Friday’s accented voice continued, ignoring everything around her. 

“Oh, uh, n-no!” Peter cried out, stepping hurriedly out of the other side of the metal detector. “Please don’t.” 

“Very well, Peter. Please enjoy today’s visit.” 

“Thanks, Fri,” Peter sighed. Peter stood off to the side as his peers all walked through one by one as well. 

“Welcome, Visitor. Name: Leeds, Ned.” Friday greeted each of his peers the same. 

Lastly, Jessica stepped through, “Good morning, Junior Scientist: Tremblay, Jessica.” 

Peter’s cheeks flushed knowing that people were probably questioning how Peter was able to actually converse with the AI. The teen was just thankful Friday hadn’t blurted that he had an all access I.D badge that leveled Happy’s with an actual photo I.D. 

People looked curiously at Peter, no doubt questioning him. 

Most of his day at Stark Industries was uneventful. He trailed behind the place, having already been there a couple times with Pepper or Tony. 

Flash kept making snide remarks about how people didn't seem to recognize Peter. _‘How can Penis possible intern here if no one notices him?’ ‘Wonder what Penis did to get that fancy badge he’s got?’ ‘There’s no way Penis Parker has even been in the same room as Tony Stark’_. 

Peter ignored it, as usual. No point in making a big deal of it. 

Jessica took them on tours around the facility, and a couple scientists gave them demos of how whatever they were working on worked. That was pretty cool- nowhere near Iron Man suit cool though. 

Then, Jessica led them into the room they’d have some spare time to look around in. There was an arc reactor in the center of the room, much, much bigger than the one that had been embedded in Tony’s chest. 

“This is the arc reactor that powers the building. Stark Industries is still working to make eco-friendly power. This design of the reactor, sparked the miniature one Mister Stark used to keep himself alive and still uses to power the Iron Man suits. On the walls of the building were pictures, and it was almost like a museum of Stark Industries history. 

It dated all the way back to Howard Stark’s findings and the beginnings of the company, all the way to the more recent events like the Stark Expo. 

That instantly drew in Peter’s attention, and when they were dismissed to look around on their own, Peter made a beeline for it. There was multiple photos cased in the walls. Crowds, some of the performances, notable projects and scientists participating in the events. 

There was pictures of Tony with some of the crowd, and even some of Justin Hammer’s Hammeroids. Peter was in these photos. Not once, but twice. 

The first, an up-close of him, toy Iron Man mask and helmet on and pretend blaster raised towards the camera. His wore a blue hoodie, and an Expo t-shirt beneath that. A photographer had been taking pictures of those in the crowds outside, hired for the event. 

The second, a bit blurrier and no doubt captured on a cell phone camera. It was a memory Peter remember strongly. It was just after his seventh birthday. He’d gotten the tickets to the Expo from Amanda. He’d just gotten out of a rather bad foster home and she felt bad for him. It was the only thing he’d ever asked for. 

She’d taken him, but in the midst of the soldier drones attacking, he’d gotten separated from her. Peter had been young and dumb, so when faced against one of the monsters, instead of turning and running away, he did as Iron Man did- raising his blasters to shoot him. 

And a shot had fired, but not from him. The camera, despite the blurriness of it, had caught Peter spinning to face the man behind him, and Tony’s head was angled down. _‘Nice work, Kid.’_ Tony had muttered before blasting up. 

It was one of those great memories you have, but you just kind of forget until you’re reminded of it. And Peter was reminded. It had been the best day of his life. The man who he looked up too had first patted him on the head (helmet) and then saved his life. 

“Alright!” Jessica called from where she was standing, “lunch time! Your visitor badges will get you your lunch for free. Employees can buy points to put on their card that can be redeemed for cafeteria items. Miss Potts ensured you could all have a free lunch today though, as a gift for your incredible Decathlon win at Nationals.” 

A cheer broke out among the students. 

“The cafeteria is just down the hall and to your right,” Jessica informed, “no straggling, the cafeteria will soon be filled with hungry scientists, so please hurry.” 

The class filed out of the room, but Peter, to his surprise, was blocked by an arm. Jessica stared at him for a second before smiling, “you know, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” 

“Excuse me?” Peter tilted his head. 

“Don’t remember me? I thought we had fun? Well, until you went and stuck you hand where it didn’t belong-” 

Peter stared at her before gaping, “it was you!” He startled back, surprised by his own volume, “you were... you’re the intern that was watching me that day, when Tony and Pepper had that meeting.” 

“You do remember,” Jessica smiled, “you had always been my favorite tourist. I wasn’t sure when I first saw you, but Mister Hogan assured me it was you. You’ve grown up well, Peter.” 

“Ah, thank you,” Peter flushed. It was the weirdest thing meeting people he’d met before, but not actually remembering them like they remember you. “Congrats on the full-time position,” Peter said with a careful smile, remembering she had been just an intern when he’d last seen her. 

“Thanks,” Jessica laughed, “I was sure that after letting Tony Stark’s kid get hurt under my supervision I would’ve been canned right then and there, but Ms Potts seemed to like me.” 

“He wasn’t mad at you,” Peter remembered, “it was me. I always stuck my fingers where they shouldn’t have been. I'm surprised I still have all ten to be honest.” 

“I see that now,” Jessica laughed, “you know, you’re quite the talk of the employees here. Stark’s never taken anyone as an intern. We all fought tooth and nail to get him to notice us, but he never did. He was taken with you when you were little though; I’m not surprised he found you again after your family found you through the media of the fostering.” 

“Right,” Peter nodded. A tiny bit confused. He knew of the lie the billionaire had come up with to send him away. It would’ve been terrible press for the man if he gave Peter back after that one month. This, though, brought up more questions. 

“Was he really?” Peter asked. When Jessica gave him a raised eyebrow, the teen continued, “taken with me, I mean. Was he really? I don’t... I don’t remember...” Peter explained slowly. “ _Too well_. I don’t remember too well.” He added on hastily. 

“He was,” Jessica laughed, “we’d never seen anything like it. He carried you everywhere, or held your hand. We were all a bit freaked out at first. Tony Stark is a nice man, don’t get me wrong, but no one had pegged him for... the parental type, you know? He just had this look whenever you were around. Made him softer, you could say.” 

“That’s... I mean,” Peter gave a nervous laugh, “that’s really nice.” 

“It is.” Jessica smiled fondly, “now, let’s get you some lunch. Your class is in for a treat later,” Jessica waggled her eyebrows at Peter before placing a hand on his shoulder and leading him away. 

\---- 

The treat, as Jessica had put it, was of course a visit from Tony Stark and CEO Pepper Potts. A panel for the curious young minds of one of New York’s top STEM schools to ask questions about running a business or about the brilliance behind the Iron Man armor. 

And boy, did Peter peers have questions. Even Ned and MJ were asking a bunch. 

As the minutes ticked down, Peter was starting to think that maybe he could come out of this feild trip unscathed, but then, Flash Thompson had to open his big giant mouth. 

“Mister Tony Stark, Sir?” Tony’s attention shifted from Cindy to Flash. 

“Hi, yes?” the man eyed Flash before giving him an overly fake grin. 

“I just have a question about your interning program?” Tony and Pepper shared a look before Tony gestured for Flash to continue speaking, “what are the age requirements to interning here? I’m sure most of us are interested in joining your team.” 

“We only take high school graduates with top grades, and university fellowships.” Tony explained, “Sorry, Kiddos, you’re going to have to wait a couple more years before applying.” 

Flash turned his wicked grin to Peter, and the teen knew it was over. The tranquility of the day gone and one hell of a storm on the horizon. 

“Hear that, guys? Penis has been lying to us.” Flash mocked and Peter ducked his head. “So, Mister Stark,” Flash continued innocently, “one of our classmates doesn’t intern here?” 

Peter looked up at the podium where both Pepper and Tony were staring intently at Flash. The man’s once friendly eyes flashing red and Pepper looking about ready to whack Flash across the back of the head. 

“And who might this classmate be?” The billionaire asked through gritted teeth. Though Peter already knew the man knew Flash was talking about him. 

Peter tried to telepathically stop Flash, but to his not surprise, the idiot didn’t get it- instead grinning triumphantly and loudly speaking, “Peter Parker, Sir.” 

“Peter, huh?” The billionaire instantly lit up, grinning again. He caught Peter’s eye before the teen looked away. “No, Peter’s not an intern,” the man laughed. Peter’s attention shot up at the betrayal. He was one-hundred percent toast now- there goes what little school social structure he had, “no, Mister Parker is my personal assistant. He works with me on the weekends up at the Avenger’s compound.” 

The class gaped. Everyone, from the teacher to Flash. Even MJ looked a little surprised. Peter may have forgotten to mention this too her, along with the fostering thing. 

“Y-you’re joking, right?” Flash stuttered, “I mean, _him_?” Flash’s scowl shot to Peter, “you made _Penis Parker_ your personal assistant?” 

Oh, poor dumb Flash. Peter couldn’t help but wince as the billionaire stood up abruptly. The room silenced just as fast as the man stood. Peter could see the anger radiating off the billionaire and it made him want to run. It was an anger Peter hadn’t seen before- and he’d practically sunk a ferry ship. 

More intense. Scarier. Tony was livid. The only thing keeping him for annihilating Flash was Pepper’s calming hand on his forearm. 

“What did you just call him?” 

“Peter!” Flash jumped at the intense rage in the man’s monotonous voice, ”I... I uh, I called him, I called him Peter, Sir. I swear!” 

“You know, that’s not what I think I heard, I’m pretty sure you called him _Penis_ ,” the man hissed the word, “not to mention I know you called him that earlier as well.” 

“It... It’s a joke, I swear!” Flash cried, “it’s all friendly, eh, Parker?” 

Tony’s attention ripped from Flash and settled on Peter. The curly hair teen shrugged, not agreeing or disagreeing. A mutual gesture. Clearly, Tony saw right through it. 

“Even so,” the billionaire snapped, “I kindly request that you refrain from calling my _foster son_ anything of that sort.” 

Another round of shocked gasps and gaping mouths silenced the room, except this time, Peter, Pepper and the boy’s friends had all joined in as well. 

“F-foster son?” Flash whimpered, “there’s no.... that can’t-” 

“Now, I think this has been enough for the day. I will be taking Peter with me, and you can check in with the principal of Midtown if you have any concerns about the situation.” Tony growled, gesturing Peter towards him. 

Peter stood from his seat and stumbled his way towards the man. Tony was quick to wrap and arm around his shoulder and pull him into his side. Peter saw Ned mouth ‘WTF’ to him, but the teen simply shrugged. Hell, if he knew. 

“Ms Potts, if you’ll be a dear, please explain to our guests and anyone else in the room, what a Non-Disclosure Agreement is and please ensure that everyone signs one...” After a second, the billionaire continued, quieter and just to Pepper and Peter. “Except, of course, those two,” the man’s eyes trailed to MJ and Ned, who already knew the secret. 

“Of course, Mister Stark,” Pepper glared at the billionaire before smiling at Peter’s classmates, “if you all will follow me?” 

“Did you seriously have to out me like that?” Peter scowled and Tony led Peter along by the arm across his shoulders. “That’s a lot of people to know that you’re fostering me.” 

"What was I supposed to do?” Tony snarled, “he called you Penis Parker.” 

“We go to high school, you’re wrong if you think I haven’t been called worse,” Peter laughed, “I don’t think he’ll say much to me anymore though.” 

“Good.” Tony huffed. “That asshole needed to be taken down a peg. No one’s going to talk about _my_ kid like that without hearing from me.” 

“No one?” Peter teased, leaning into the billionaire. 

“No one.” Tony grinned, “you’re gonna tell me if that little shit keeps bothering you. We can send him a nice little Iron Man suit for a visit.” 

“We can’t threaten my classmates,” Peter scoffed. 

“Not threaten.... just, surprise him a bit? With lasers.” 

“That’s threatening.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm thinking this fic will either have 25 or 26 chapters, so... the end is near friends. I'll have to see what I have planned looks like before I decide, so this is just a bit of a heads up. 
> 
> Remember to comment! Anything you guys have to say motivates me to keep writing! Thoughts, opinions, predictions, or even just some constructive criticism. All's amazing to receive <3
> 
> I'll see you with the next update!


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! 
> 
> So, I've decided that there will be 26 chapters. The end is very near, my friends. :c
> 
> Anywho, get ready for the angst everyone has been waiting for! It's feelings time, my friends :D 
> 
> Enjoy~

Peter was beginning to think he was at the end of his rope. 

He’d hit his limit, definitely. 

There was just so much he _didn’t_ know. So much no one was telling him. He knew practically nothing, while everyone else knew it all, but no one said a goddamn thing to him, and it was _frustrating_. 

He just wanted everyone to get along. He wanted everyone to trust each other, and he wanted everyone, including himself, to be kept in the loop of things. 

It seemed a bit unfair that Peter, whose life it had impacted the most, was kept in the dark about whatever had happened that August, six years ago. About his own life. By the people who wanted him to love and trust them unconditionally. 

Didn’t they know that those things were a two-way street? It was absolutely ridiculous what they expected from him, when they were giving him nothing in return. How could he trust the man who’d given him back when Peter had needed him most? Who had given him zero explanation for his actions? Or, Pepper, who also knew everything, be refused to tell him anything. Refused to even entertain the idea for longer than a quick; _‘Please, Peter, not now... Maybe later, alright?’_

Later never came. Later would _never_ come. 

They wanted the world from him. They wanted him home at a certain time. They wanted to know his friends, and where he’d be and when. They wanted to show up to his Decathlon competitions, and monitor Spider-Man activity. They wanted him to eat three meals a day, at least one with the two of them. They wanted to talk about his day, and ask questions and help with his homework- they wanted to be a family, as far as Peter could tell. 

But how was he supposed to do that? Just follow behind Tony and Pepper blindly? He’d been in foster care, and trust was not something just handed out. Peter had given his trust to the wrong people before, and he got burned in the end. So, how? How was he supposed to pretend everything was alright, when everything was not alright? 

Tony did not trust him. It was clear. Tony didn’t want to trust Peter. 

If the billionaire wanted to trust him, he’d be telling Peter what had gone down six years ago. Why had he given Peter up? Why had he just blinked out of existence the moment Peter needed him? 

The man claimed he was there, but was he? Why didn’t he let Peter stay? Even after the car accident. It happened just after August, and Mister Stark hadn’t wanted to make sure he was okay? He hadn’t wanted Peter to be safe with him? 

Maybe... he wasn’t supposed to be here? With Tony. And Pepper. 

They had both mentioned a publicity stunt. That’s where everything had started, hadn’t it? He’d been good publicity for Tony when he was little- a cute face and an adorable innocence that people would eat up. That was the whole arrangement. 

Maybe... maybe that’s still what he was. Some good publicity for the man. Was Tony just waiting for the right moment to speak to the press? To show off his personal assistant and new (again) foster son? The teen he’d rescued from an abusive foster home? 

Peter scrunched his nose up at the thought. 

They had to be faking. He should’ve known everything was too good to be true. Tony and Pepper were obviously waiting for the perfect time to hold a press conference and share the big news: _‘Tony Stark fostering poor abused orphan once more!’_

What else could be the reason Peter’s being left in the dark about everything? Why share something like a whole month someone doesn’t remember when you could just pass it off as nothing. Nothing had happened, a regular month- just like every other month. 

But things had happened. Peter remembered things happening. He remembered the park with Tony, cuddling into the man’s shoulder as he carried him towards the duck pond. He remembered the comforting, familiar feeling of Tony’s hand in his own- the feeling of safety. 

The sunglasses that Pepper had given him. How the billionaire had smiled so lovingly down on him as he adjusted how the glasses sat on his tiny face. Grinning and complimenting the style before ruffling his hair. 

He remembered his visit to Stark Industries, the meeting, cutting his hand. He remembered Jessica and Tony talking before the man shooed her away so he could clean Peter’s wound with such a careful hand, that Peter really couldn’t believe it to be Tony’s. Then, despite all odds, the man swooped him up and _cuddled_ him. 

But there was so much more. There was a whole month of... of everything. Of everything Peter had never had. Of everything Peter hadn’t felt since his aunt passed away all those years ago. A whole month of... and no one would tell him a damn thing. 

And Peter was pissed off. 

He’d tried to trick the billionaire into telling him the truth. Guilt him into talking. He’d tried to prove he’d remember with or without help, and obviously that wasn’t going very well. Nothing was working. No one wanted to share this important month with him. 

And... as much as it sucked, that wasn’t somewhere Peter wanted to stay. He didn’t want to be here if no one would tell him the truth. The truth about _himself_. The truth about Mister Stark. The truth about that month. 

He could never be happy here. Not when he knew that Tony and Pepper knew something his didn’t, and refused to tell him. It was something that involved him- it was literally his life. 

And so, the decision was made. 

Peter had started packing that afternoon. He was going to tell Pepper and Tony he wanted to leave during dinner. Hopefully one of them could call Amanda and have a new foster sorted out. If not, Peter wasn’t above bussing himself to Amanda’s office the next morning. After all, it wouldn’t have been the first time. 

As much as it pained Peter, he needed to do this. He needed answers. And he couldn’t stay here if everyone was just going to pretend Tony hadn’t fostered Peter for a month and then sent him away like a shirt he’d grown out of, with some made-up story about Peter’s family finding him and taking him in again. 

Peter packed his duffle bag, only taking the necessities. Maybe he could store some more things in Ned’s closet after this? He wasn’t even sure Tony would want to work in the lab with him after Peter spoke his mind like he planned. 

When his bag was packed, Peter sat on his bed. Blankie was in his hands, the softness calming his raging nerves. This was going to break his heart, but it was for the best. This was the happiest he’d ever been. He had Tony, and Pepper. They were amazing. He had a bed, and a roof over his head. He was fed three meals a day and he could be Spider-Man without sneaking out (for the most part). 

He finally had somewhere he could bring Ned over to play video games, or somewhere he felt completely safe to fall asleep on the couch in the living room. He had... stuff. Lots of stuff he didn’t even need- and maybe Tony and Pepper would donate it to some kids in need? 

“Pete,” Tony shouted, “c’mon, Kiddo! Pep made dinner!” 

And that was his que. Peter pushed blankie off his lap and onto the duvet beside him, hastily dragging his sleeve over his eyes and under his nose before standing tall and walking out of his room. 

Pepper and Tony were both already seated at the table. Peter pulled out one of the last two chairs at the small table, sitting himself down and ducking his head. 

The room smelt of homemade lasagna. The baking dish in the center of the table was a perfect mess of cheese, sauce and pasta. Peter’s mouth watered at the sight of it, but only a second later he remembered that this was probably going to be his last meal with the couple. 

“Smells great, sweetheart,” Tony smiled. Peter felt Tony nudge his foot under the table and the teen looked up to smile at Pepper before returning his gaze downward. 

Despite not seeing the adults, he knew they were sharing a look. 

“What’s up, Pete?” Tony asked carefully as he started dishing a portion onto everyone’s plates (Pete got almost triple Tony and Pepper’s own servings). 

“Uhm...” Peter looked up momentarily, then looked back at his lap; all confidence leaving his body. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.” 

The silence only meant another exchange of glances between the two. The silence carried on for a while longer. Peter stared at his meal, the steam making him uneasy. It smelt so good, but he couldn’t bring himself to eat. 

“Seriously, Kid,” Tony broke the silence, voice taking an unknown emotion, “what’s going on?” 

“It’s nothing, alright?” Peter hadn’t meant to snap. He startled back almost dropping his fork when he realized what he’d done, “look, I’m sorry. I’m just tired, I guess.” 

There was a bit of a silence. A quick glance at Tony told Peter that the billionaire was biting his tongue. The teen ducked his head down for what felt like the millionth time to hide his embarrassment of his actions. 

“That’s alright, honey,” Pepper said with a soft smile, “it’s alright to be tired.” 

Peter didn’t vocally respond, instead he nodded slightly. That didn’t make him feel any better. 

“Hey, uh, so, how was school today? Anyone bring up the field trip?” 

It had been Peter’s first day back since Tony had foster outed him to his teammates. Although the field trip had been on Thursday, Peter had only just been to school that morning, Wednesday. Tony had insisted he stay home Friday while things would be the talk of the Decathlon team, and Monday and Tuesday were Pro-D days, which meant all the teachers were forced to focus on personal development and attend things to help them be better teachers. 

“It was alright,” Peter shrugged. It had been, things had died down by Wednesday, and everyone had signed the NDAs so legally no one could say anything. But MJ and Ned talked about how weird it had been, and even Flash managed to leave Peter alone for the day. “Only Ned and MJ, but they already knew most of it anyways.” 

“Right,” the billionaire breathed out, going back to his lasagna. Peter followed suit, stabbing a piece of noddle, but pushing it around in the sauce instead of eating it. 

This had to be one of the most awkward meals Peter had had at the penthouse with Tony and Pepper. They’d always just kind of hit it off, but Peter was harboring some serious doubts about everything right now and nothing felt comfortable. 

Another silence carried out, this one more suffocating than the last. 

“So, what happened to that girl?” Pepper asked suddenly. When Peter glanced at her in confusion, she continued, “the one you took to Homecoming?” 

“Liz?” the teen mumbled, “she, uh, she and her mom moved. She doesn’t... she doesn’t go to Midtown anymore. They don’t even live in the city anymore. Too hard, I guess, you know, with her dad and all.” 

“Right,” Tony snarled, angrily stabbing a noodle so hard that his fork scratched along the plate beneath. “Him.” 

“Awh,” Pepper frowned, glaring at Tony before giving Peter a sympathetic glance. “I’m sorry, hun, I know you really liked her.” 

Peter shrugged, stabbing a noddle again, not nearly as hard as Tony had. He’d only take a couple bites of his meal, and he was pretty sure it was stressing both Tony and Pepper out. 

“She deserved better than me anyways,” Peter admitted, “someone who won’t ditch her at Homecoming.” 

“Hey,” Tony narrowed his eyes at Peter, “you’re a great kid, Bud, anyone would be lucky to have you.” 

Peter swallowed hard. Why were they making this so difficult? 

Peter lifted his attention, eyes flicking from each adult’s nearly empty plate and up to their faces. It was now or never. He had to speak now. 

Peter cleared his throat quickly, sucking in a panicked breath before finally speaking. 

“There’s.... there’s something I have to talk to you guys about...” 

It drew in their attention’s quickly. Pepper placed her fork down on the napkin beside her plate, and Tony abandoned his on his plate. Peter kept his in his hand, welcoming and distraction to not look at the two adults. 

“What’s up?” Tony’s voice was light. He intertwined his finger together and settled his chin over his fingers. Pepper’s hands crossed in front of her like she was in a meeting or something, and he had all of their attention. It was unnerving. 

“Well,” Peter started, playing absently with a sheet of melted cheese he hadn’t eaten yet. The top of the lasagna was a solid layer of melty cheese, and for whatever reason, Peter had decided to slide it off. He forked at his dinner, squeezing his eyes shut as anxiety thrummed through him. 

“Well?” Tony questioned slowly, “spit it out, marbles.” The joke was nice, comic relief. Peter glance up, but looked away almost immediately. 

“I... I don’t think I should stay here anymore.” 

_Silence._

Complete silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spit it out marbles is a saying my dad says to my brother and I when we mumble or don't talk fast enough lol. It just made me laugh to write it. Just wanted to note that in case people don't know the saying.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Comments are lovely, they motivate me to get the next chapter out faster. Kudos, Subs and Bookmarks are great too!
> 
> Okay, see you soon, reader! :P


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very angsty chapter, and hopefully the exchange between Tony and Peter everyone was looking for. Worked hard on this one, so I hope it's up to standards. Almost 4k of angst and emotion!
> 
> Anywaysss, enjoy~

“You... you don’t want to stay here anymore?” Tony asked slowly, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. He suddenly felt like he was going to throw up. His meal now sat like a rock in his stomach, uncomfortably weighing him down and making him feel physically sick. 

He’d been stunned into silence, it was... it was a shock. Peter was... 

“We can... I mean,” Tony gaped, trying something, anything, to try and understand, “if you’re not happy in the tower-” 

“The tower’s fine,” Peter’s small voice confirmed, “I can’t... stay with you guys anymore.” 

Tony swallowed, mouth and throat dry, despite the water he’d been drinking through the meal. He licked his lips, fighting back tears, because it felt like he was getting stabbed repeatedly in the chest. 

“Why, sweetheart?” Pepper’s voice was quiet, heartbroken. She sounded how Tony felt. Defeated and broken. “Why do you want to go?” 

The billionaire swallowed once more, eyes drifting downwards. Peter wanted to leave. He wanted to leave him and Pepper. And he had no right forcing the boy to stay. Peter wasn’t his, he’d given the boy up. 

“I don’t... I don’t want to go, not really. I just... I _can’t_ stay here.” 

“I don’t... I don’t understand, honey... are you... was it something we did?” Pepper’s eyes flicked over to Tony, then to Peter once more. 

“No,” Peter assured quickly. The teen paused for a second, biting his lip, before giving a small nod, “maybe... yes.” 

“Whatever we did, Kid, we can fix it. You don’t have too... you can’t leave, Peter. Not... not again, please.” Tony’s voice sounded wrecked. It was the most emotion Peter had never really heard from the man, and it was hitting him right in the heart, but he needed to stand his ground. Remember why he was doing this, and why he couldn’t stay here with them. 

“That’s just it,” Peter breathed out, looking up from his plate, Pepper and Tony looked surprised at the sudden strength of Peter’s voice, “that,” Peter gestured to Tony, “that _‘not again’_. I can’t... I can’t stay here. I can’t be the only one kept in the dark. I know you don’t want to tell me. I know. We’ve had this talk before,” Peter narrowed his eyes at the baking dish in the center of the table, “I’ve tried with both of you, and neither of you have breathed a word about what happened August of 2010.” 

Peter paused to take a steadying breath, “I mean, the most I’ve gotten from anyone, was from Jessica- that intern who had watched over me that day at Stark Industries when you both had that meeting to attend. And she only knew me for an hour.” 

“Peter-” 

“No,” Peter glared at the billionaire, whose jaw snapped shut like a scolded child, “no. I’m sorry, but you don’t understand. There’s been this gap of time. This gap of... of _life_ that has been weighing over me since I was released from the hospital. I’m missing three months of my life, and I’m quite positive, from what I’ve gathered, that one of those months was the best month of my life.” 

“Honey-” 

“I get that you guys don’t want to talk about it. I get it. I get that no one ever wants to talk about it,” Peter threw his hands up in defeat, “you guys had the perfect excuse to send me away when your... your dumb publicity thing was over- I mean, with my ‘family’,” Peter put over-exaggerated finger quotations over the word, “finding me again, and that sweet little reunion thing that left Mister Stark the hero of everything- but in case you guys forgot, I’m a human being- I was just a little kid and my life was shit when you guys just shoved me back into the system.” 

Both adults stared at the teenager, faces pale and guilt ridden. Peter almost felt bad for laying into them like this, but he was literally just stating facts at this point. He didn’t have much to go off of after all. 

“And I... as nice as this is, and as much as I like you guys.... I can’t sit around and wait for that same fate to find me. I can’t get dumped by another family. I... It’s not fair, guys, I’m sorry, but I _can’t_.” 

“Peter...” Tony’s eyes were watering, and Pepper looked seconds away from bursting into tears. Peter swallowed hard to keep himself from crying as well. “We aren’t... I’m not letting you go again, Peter. You are not going back into that system. I promise, I will never do that again. I... I won’t I promise you, Kid... I-” 

“Why do you... why do you think you’re being sent back?” Pepper asked slowly, trying not to start crying as she choked out the words. 

Peter stared at her for a second, then another; blinking slowly. 

He stuttered a breath, staring down at his plate before speaking monotonously, “aren’t you guys just like everyone else? Take me in until I become too much of a handful, or until I grow out of my cuteness?” 

“N-no,” Tony gasped, “No, Pete.... we won’t-” 

“You already did,” Peter reminded with a furrow of his eyebrows and a frown, “you’ve already sent me back once. What’s stopping you this time?” 

“That was a mistake,” Tony’s voice was quiet; broken. He sounded devastated, and suddenly, Peter was second guessing everything he’d said to them. Pepper was crying now, and Peter felt like an asshole. An absolute asshole for making her cry. 

He wanted to cry. Peter wanted to cry. Too go to his room, or flee from the penthouse and cry. But he couldn’t he was in far too deep to chicken out now. 

“A mistake?” Peter repeated quietly. 

“A mistake,” Tony breathed out, “I promise, Peter. If I could go back and change that day... if I could make it right, I would. But I can’t. I can’t change what happened to you. I can’t change what happened that day... I can’t, Pete. I’m so, so sorry, but I can’t. And I have to live with it.” 

Peter’s attention snapped up at that. That was the most he’d ever gotten from Tony. Change that day? What day? What did Tony have to live with? He needed more. He needed everything. That wasn’t enough. 

Peter couldn’t help but feel that this was like trying to put together a thousand-piece puzzle in a pitch-black room, while hundreds of the pieces were completely missing. The teen was about to start tearing his hair out, if he were honest. 

“Please, Pete. Please. You can’t go, not again... I just got you back, Bud...” 

Peter did not look up at the man. He couldn’t bring himself to do so, not when Tony’s voice was sounding so hurt. 

“I can’t...” Peter’s voice was just as soft, “I can’t stay here if no one tells me what happened. I can’t live here when everywhere I go, something reminds me of something I just can’t remember.” 

Peter didn’t speak for a second, and neither did Tony or Pepper. “I can’t stay somewhere where people don’t trust me enough to tell me what happened that month. I can’t be the only one who doesn’t know. It’s... it’s just _not fair_.” 

“I... we trust you, Peter-” 

“If you trusted me, you’d tell me what no one else has,” Peter hissed, standing and quickly moving away from the table. He’d hit the end. It was done. 

“Okay.” 

Peter froze from where he’d started storming off to his room. _Okay?_

“Okay?” Peter asked quietly, not turning yet, “okay what?” 

“Okay I’ll tell you.” Tony’s hands were crossed in front of him, his plate pushed back. He stared at his hands, not anywhere but his own interlocked fingers. “You’re... you’re right. It’s... I should tell you. I should’ve told you when you started piecing things together. This hasn’t been fair to you, and I’m sorry, Peter.” 

Peter turned back to the table now, interested in the progress he’d just been promised. 

“You’ll tell me?” Peter asked again. He wanted to be sure that’s what he was staying for. He wanted clarification from the man. 

“I will,” Tony swallowed. “I... if it’s what you need to... to be happy here. To stay with us... I’ll tell you what you want to know.” The billionaire’s voice shook. He was scared, and Peter knew it. Scared to tell Peter. Scared of the possibility that Peter might leave. And he was scared of Peter’s reaction when he started telling the boy. 

“I...” Pepper stood, wiping her eyes. “I’m not much a part of that. I think it’s something that the two of you need to do by yourselves. Okay?” Pepper explained with a shaky voice. She leaned over Tony, pressing an encouraging kiss to his cheek before stepping away. “I’m going to go lay down.” 

Pepper moved to step away, giving the boys the space, they would definitely need. On her way past Peter, who was stood stiffly in the hallway connecting the kitchen to the rest of the penthouse. She paused in front of him, lifting a hand to caress his cheek carefully. Peter leaned into the touch, and Pepper took that as her chance to pull his head down to her and kiss his forehead. 

Peter watched as the woman walked past and down the hallway. Then, Peter turned his attention back to the man, still seated at the table. 

“Maybe we should...” Tony started, looking up from his hands, “let’s talk in the lab, she really needs rest and... I’m not sure how this conversation’s going to go to be honest.” 

Peter nodded hesitantly, stepping to Tony. The billionaire stood up, walking stiffly to the elevator. 

The ride down was silent and it felt infinitely longer then literally any other elevator Peter had ever taken. The teen kept chancing quick looks at the billionaire. The man looked uncomfortable, and defeated. He looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, and it was freaking Peter out. 

Tony was never like this. In the time Peter had known the man, Tony had never really expressed emotions- unless it was anger, but even that he managed to keep on a tight leash. But the man was showing everything. It was almost like Peter had finally broken him. Finally crumbled the billionaire’s concrete walls. 

And Peter wasn’t too sure if that was a good thing or not. 

When they stepped off the elevator at the lab, the billionaire looked around for a second before pointing Peter towards the couch. The teen followed the direction and carefully sat himself on the couch. He didn’t get to comfortable, because there was still that chance that things could go south and Peter would need to leave. 

The man stood blankly in the same spot, but when his eyes landed on Peter and he was quick to swiftly move to where Peter was sitting and join him. The billionaire sat himself on the coffee table across from Peter. 

And then there was silence. 

It was a terrible mix of awkward, uncertain and stiff silence. Peter hadn’t ever been in this kind of silence. It could be cut with a knife, just how thick and suffocating it was. The teen could only assume Tony agreed by the look of an unknown emotion on Tony’s face. 

But they continued to sit in the silence. Peter wasn’t sure if he should be asking questions. He wasn’t sure if Tony was sycing himself up to talk. He wasn’t sure how this was going to go down- but as the minutes ticked on, Peter’s hope was falling with them. 

He was seconds away from standing and leaving when Tony finally cleared his throat, sharp eyes landing on Peter’s face. 

“Should I... Start from the beginning then?” 

Peter swallowed, nodding hesitantly. The man gave a nod of his own, seemingly trying to put his thoughts in order before he started talking. 

The next wait wasn’t as long as the last. 

“That... that time when you came to live with me, I wasn’t... I wasn’t at my best, Kid.” Tony started, his eyes were locked on his hands, which lie locked together in his lap, “all the shit with the Avengers had just gone down- I was flying missiles into wormholes- and that really... it messes people up. I was doing a lot of drinking, and all I really did was sit in my lab and tinker. To y’know, better the suits and myself. 

“This, of course, didn’t fly with Pepper. Or the company, or the Avengers, and Rhodey- and even the people who looked up to me were starting to question me.” The man gave a bitter laugh, “and our brilliant idea to magically fix how much as an asshole I’d been was to foster some snot nosed brat.” 

Peter opened his mouth the talk, slightly annoyed at the name, but the billionaire continued with a small smile. 

“Not you, kid,” Tony laughed, “a snot nosed brat in general.” 

Peter managed a small smile as Tony patted his knee. 

“I didn’t want anything to do with it, not really. My dad kind of fucked me up. Didn’t want to do that to anyone else, you know? But Pepper did all the work. She found you, and promised me that it would be only one month. Just one month and then everything could go back to normal.” 

Peter felt himself deflate. The man was so willing to just hand him back when the month was over. Peter swallowed, looking downward. 

“But then, I met you.” the billionaire gave another small laugh. “I met you, and you were... you were this cute little creature who carried his blanket around like a lifeline, and played dinosaurs on the living room floor-” 

“The Lego dino?” Peter asked softly, tilting his head. 

“The Lego dino,” Tony agreed with a small smile. “You just... you wrapped around me from when we first met. You... you liked me, and trusted me. I wasn’t sure what to do with that, but you were just so hands on. 

“There wasn’t anything else to do besides let it happen. And that’s coming from me. I don’t like people handing me things, Kid. But I let you wrap around me, and cuddle into my side... And I pretended to ignore the look of adoration in your eyes because you’d just met me. How could you already trust me?” 

“I hadn’t just met you,” Peter told the man after a moment of thoughtful silence. “We’d met before. I guess I remember that one, and you don’t.” Peter gave a little laugh. “But I did trust you completely, and I still do.” 

“We’d met before?” Tony asked slowly, attention completely on Peter. 

“We did.” Peter tilted his head. “It was the year before, at your Stark Expo. Amanda had taken me as a birthday present, since it was the only thing I’d asked for- well, that and a plastic Iron Man helmet.” 

“Wait, the year before I started fostering you... that was the Expo with the Hammeroids...” Tony looked completely distraught at the thought. 

“Yeah,” Peter nodded. “Anyways, I got to see your performance with all the backup dancers, and then you patted me on the head when you went to leave. It was quick, but I really held onto it because you’d always been my hero- even before Iron Man. I mean you were sure cool, Tony.” 

“Okay, okay, getting ahead of yourself there, Bud. I was an asshole, don’t look up to people like me. You’re a good kid, and I wasn’t a good role model back then... I’m still not great, but I’m getting there.” 

“You were awesome though,” Peter continued, momentarily forgetting why they were talking, “you saved my life! How am I supposed to not-” 

“Woah, woah, woah,” Tony waved his hands in front of Peter, “I did what now?” 

“I was going to get hit by one of the drones. It was outside, after the initial panic. Amanda and I got separated, and I didn’t know what to do. I guess one of the drones zeroed in on the mask-” 

“Oh God, no.” Tony gaped, “you were... Peter, you can’t tell me you were... Oh no, shit. That was you?” 

“Why’re you upset?” Peter asked slowly, “you saved me. I’m okay because you were there.” 

“You almost died again,” Tony pushed forward, raking a shaky hand through his hair, “god Peter, I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s alright,” Peter told the man, confused by everything, “it wasn’t you fault. It was Justin Hammer’s fault. Plus, I’m okay. Nothing happened because you were there for me. Just like I knew you would be.” 

“Peter, you could’ve died! It was a stupid idea to let Hammer have stage time. I knew the idiot would’ve had something stupid planned. But I didn’t... you could’ve _died_.” 

“So, could you, and everyone else at the Expo,” Peter reminded, “plus, I was insignificant at the time. I was just some random newly eight-year-old, but you still saved me. You didn’t know me yet. I was just another toy Iron Man mask in a crowd. You saved me, and I trust you- then and now still.” 

“But-” 

“No,” Peter scolded. “End of story- uh, end of _that_ story.” 

“Right,” Tony dragged a hand down his mouth, “I just didn’t know what to do with you, Pete. I had no idea. Usually, I stayed as far away from kids as I could manage. But there you were. Sweet and innocent and affectionate- standing in my penthouse- and it was nice. I mean, you just... trusted me. I hadn’t done anything to deserve it, but you just... I don’t know.” 

The man sighed. 

“And we got closer. As the weeks rolled by. You started getting closer to me, and I started getting protective of you. People started asking questions, but I didn’t care, because you were with me, and it was this feeling I’d never felt before. Such an innocent feeling- because you didn’t like me for the money, or the suits or my connections. You were too young for all the stuff. You just... you liked me.” 

Peter nodded. Material items didn’t faze Peter. As nice as they were. He didn’t need a lot to live. And it was no different with the billionaire. He didn’t need the money, or the toys- just someone to be with him, and Mister Stark had. 

“We got so close, Pete. It was... I was terrified. You’d, uh, you’d started.... you, uh, started calling me-” 

“Daddy?” Peter supplied, knowing from his dream. Tony looked surprised, and Peter just gave him a small smile. “I remembered that, I had a dream, right after we first met. I didn’t know it was you at first, but I called whoever it was daddy. It wasn’t my biological dad, or my uncle Ben...” 

“Yeah...” Tony mumbled, “and that scared the shit out of me, but I loved it. I wanted to be that for you. I needed to be that for you. You needed someone, and I needed you... and everything was going perfect. You were... you were the family I never got. 

“I knew I was in trouble from the first time you’d called me daddy. I couldn’t just... give you back. Not when we were so close. Not when you’d started seeing me as... as a father. Peter, I never wanted any of this to happen. I ruined you, just like I ruin everything I touch.” 

“I don’t... I don’t understand,” Peter whispered. How could the man have given him away after everything he’d talked about? Peter could hear the love and emotion in the man’s words as he spoke. How could Tony had given him away after all that? “Why... please, I need... Why’d you just... you just gave me back.” 

“Things... things happen, Kiddo.” Tony mumbled regretfully, “things happen and people can’t change it. I thought... I thought what I was doing was best for you. 

“I wreck everything I touch, Peter, and I wasn’t going to wreck you. I couldn’t do that to you. You came this close to...” the man held his thumb and index finger apart by just a millimeter of space, “so, so close to being wrecked. And I couldn't live with myself if that happened.” 

“So what? You gave me up?” Peter growled, “you threw it all away because you were afraid something was going to happen?” 

The teen was fuming mad. After everything they’d gone through. Peter had called him dad for Christ’s sake, the billionaire still gave him right back when the month was up. 

“You did only use me,” Peter growled, “after that month was up, I was gone, wasn’t I? Just like you’d planned all along, right?” 

The teen gave a humorless laugh, dragging the palms of his hands over his watery eyes, “figures. I was just the dumb foster kid- you got off scot-free after the car accident, right? I mean, I didn’t remember, not like I could trash your name or anything. Everything worked out perfect, huh, Mister Stark?” 

“Pete...” The man’s voice was broken, “please... that’s not...” 

“I should go,” Peter growled. “I have to go.” Peter shot up, ready to run for the duffle bag packed waiting in his room and escape through his window. He gave the billionaire a glare, not that the man could see. Tony was sitting on the table, palms pressed into his eyes and his head held up by his knees. 

_“There was no car accident.”_

Peter faltered. Almost tripped over his own feet as they both dropped frozen to the floor. The billionaire hadn’t moved, but Peter could hear his quick breaths. Could hear the man’s erratic heartbeat. 

“T-there wasn’t?” Peter whimpered out. He slowly sat back down on the couch, suddenly afraid of the conversation. 

“No," the billionaire breathed, “there wasn’t.” 

“What... w-what happened then?” 

“A... there was a lab accident, Pete. You... you almost died in this lab.” 

_A... a lab accident?_ The teen felt lied too. He’d honestly believed he’d been in a car accident. Had not reason to believe anything but a car accident had taken place. Everyone had... everyone lied to him. They fed him a lie when he needed the truth the most. 

“I... I need to go.” 

And then Peter was gone. Straight out the door, leaving Tony to drag himself out a panic attack. 

_Could that have gone any worse?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter down, and two to go. It's so close to over, guys :C 
> 
> Anyways, comments appreciated. As written in every chapter, they motivate me greatly and I just adore seeing your guys' reactions to everything. They brighten my day :)
> 
> Thanks for reading! I'll be back with another chapter very soon!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strap in for a mess of emotions, my friends. This is purely 5k of neither Tony or Peter knowing how to deal with the past. 
> 
> Do enjoy~

Tony swallowed, once, twice, where he was sat on the coffee table in the lab. His fingers shook with pulsing anxiety and his head was pounding with grief. 

Sharing everything like that... it had taken a lot out of him. He’d been sitting on that for years. Years of crippling guilt that kept him chained. That told him how much of a terrible person he was for doing that to Peter. Poor, innocent little Peter Parker. 

But Peter knew now. Peter knew what had happened all those years ago. Peter knew what had happened from the source. Tony had finally, _finally_ , come clean to his kid. 

But Peter had left. 

The man dropped his head to his hands, sniffling tiredly. 

He’d done as the boy asked, but Peter had still left. Tears fell freely as Tony looked at the floor. Peter wanted to leave. Peter had decided he was leaving. And now, Peter was gone. 

When Tony was sure his almost anxiety attack had passed, he stood on shaky legs. How was he going to tell Pepper their boy was gone? How long would it be until he got that call from Amanda White that Peter wanted to be rehomed? 

The man stumbled his way out of the lab, mind focused on getting a drink. Something hard that would quell his brain. Something to quiet the anxiety, and the sadness. He needed something, anything to put an end to it. The hurt and the sadness. 

The bar was almost empty; one bottle of aged rum sat staring at him, a bottle of champagne, and that wine Pepper loves oh-so much. 

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to drink. 

The man swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut before turning away. 

He walked slowly, feet stopping outside of Peter’s room. Peter’s empty bedroom. The kid had taken everything, he knew it. He knew the boy was gone, and his belongings would be as well. 

With a stuttered breath, the man pushed the door open. He blinked, instantly feeling sad again when his eyes landed on the Spider-Man suit laying across the teen’s bed. He teared up once more, staring at it. Did... did that mean Peter didn’t want to work with him anymore either? 

Tony’s eyes travelled around the room, blinking fast to stop the tears threatening to fall. 

Then, with a start, the man noticed Peter duffle bag. Sat waiting by the door. Peter hadn’t grabbed it? The billionaire could see the edge of blankie peeking out from the opening. 

Peter wouldn’t have left for good without his stuff. Especially blankie. 

A small, hopeful smile lifted onto the man’s face. 

“Hey, Friday, I need eyes on Peter. Try his phone-” 

_“Mister Parker’s cellular device is currently in his bedroom.”_

“Okay... any camera then. You know what he’s wearing, track him, Fri.” 

_“On it, Boss.”_

\---- 

Peter could barely hear anything over the sound of his own heartbeat. It was loud and demanding, faster than he could remember it ever being. 

His heavy steps on the damp concrete below shook his body as he weaved between pedestrians walking much too slowly for his liking. 

Speckles of rain sprinkled onto Peter as he ran, wetting his curly hair, as small droplets dotted his face and clothes. 

He needed to get out. Get away from everything. From everyone. 

_There was no car accident._

The car accident that had flipped his life. The car accident he’d been reminded of by every social worker, by each foster parent and even his friends at school. The car accident that had almost killed him, was no car accident at all. 

Peter had almost died in his most favorite place on earth. In the lab. 

It was a lot to wrap his head around. 

He’d been lied to by _everyone_. 

Everyone he should be able to trust. To be able to expect the truth from, all fed him the same bullshit lie. The people he was supposed to trust, had lied to him. For years. And for what? 

Amanda, Tony, Pepper, Happy, his other foster parents- hell, even his doctor had been in on it. Once again, Peter had been left in the dark on something that involved him more so than anyone else. 

And it was complete bullshit. 

His life was a lie. Was there anything that was actually true? He wasn’t so sure now. How could he be when everything they’d ever told him had been lies. Everything had been covered up. Kept under wraps. And Peter was losing his mind. 

It was all so unfair. He’d been young, sure, but he hadn’t been an idiot. Did he truly deserve to be kept in the dark? To be the only one to _not_ know how he’d been injured. How he’d actually almost _died_? 

Peter’s footsteps slowed when he was sure he was far enough from the tower. His mind was reeling as he stumbled, palm flattening against the side of a building as he tried to catch his own breath. 

The streets were slowly losing character as shops closed and people headed home for the evening. Soon, Peter would be alone. He watched with bleary eyes as people strolled passed. Parents with children, people walking pets (who liked to sniff Peter) and business men hurrying along. 

When the sidewalk traffic slowed to the occasional person, the teen scaled the side of the building he was leaning against. He needed to get up and away from everyone. 

The rough texture of the wall tore Peter’s palms apart as he moved. His mind was moving too quickly to care though. He was being reckless, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t find it in himself at this moment to care. 

When he finally reached the top of the building- one of his favorites to just sit on during patrol and just watch when there was nothing exciting going on- the teen collapsed against the AC unit. He swallowed down a couple quick breath catching gulps of air before he finally started to settle and calm a bit. 

It was late now. About the time Peter would usually be starting his Spider-Man patrol- had he been in his right mind and had his suit with him. 

The teen drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He settled his chin snugly between his knees, giving a heavy sigh as he let the usual city sounds calm him. 

Peter pretended not to notice the smear of blood left on his jeans from his hands, and just wrapped his arms around tighter. 

He let his eyes fall shut, knowing that no one would find him on the roof of the building. He was safe here, just like he always was when he took a break from patrol. 

Peter couldn’t believe it. He simply couldn’t believe that no one told him. He’d... who would lie about that? Who would lie about a car accident? 

Peter shifted his head so his cheek was resting on his kneecap. He stared up into the cloudy sky, suddenly feeling more alone then he ever had in his life. 

Who was there left to trust? 

Ned. But Ned was just like him. Ned was just a teenager too. 

Peter trusted Ned’s mom with his whole being as well. She’d always been there, since he’d met her. The closest he’d had to a mom since his mom and his aunt May... but he had Pepper now. And she was... he loved her. 

She was his mom, and had been since this whole mess started months ago. 

As much as he loved the Leeds family... they weren’t... it was different. 

This was a different kind of alone. 

_Why had no one told him?_

Why had not a single person told him what really happened? The truth? Peter didn’t think that this was something that should be kept a secret. So, why? Why was it a secret? Why was Peter the only one who hadn’t been told? 

The more Peter thought about it, the more things started falling into place. When Amanda was doing the home inspection after Peter had broken his wrist, she and Tony had had a conversation with their eyes and her questions were directed at Tony. _‘Peter... spends time here? We’re sure that’s... alright?’_. 

Peter had thought it was weird then, how they had a conversation in the conversation. One that didn’t make any sense to him. But now... it was making sense. Amanda was concerned about the lab. About Peter being in the lab. Concerned about Tony. 

And... When Tony had first let him in the lab after the Civil War, he’d been upset. And scared. Peter saw it on his face as he told Peter that his hand would unlock the lab. The billionaire had been weird then too. 

The more Peter looked, the more he saw everything tying back to the lab. The caution everyone expressed, everyone’s hesitance on him being in the lab. How Tony would watch him when he was sure Peter wasn’t looking. 

But Peter noticed. Peter could feel his gaze despite how quick the billionaire was too look away when Peter glanced in his direction. Peter could sense the man’s gaze. 

Everything was starting to piece together. Peter was finally getting answers, but did he really want them now? It seemed that whenever one question was answered, three more would spawn. A cycle of torture that left him begging for more answers. Was there even an end to it all? He wasn’t sure. 

The teen worried his bottom lip in thought. How had he blown himself up in the lab? What had he been doing? Where had Tony been whilst this was happening? 

Peter thought, long and hard. What had he been doing? 

The rain started getting heavier and before the teen knew it, he was soaked to the core. He shivered as a crack of thunder shook the air and a flash of lightning lit the darkness of the stormy night. 

“Pete,” a relived voice called hesitantly from Peter’s left. The teen turned, despite not really needing too. There weren’t many options of who could have found him on the top of a building. And there weren’t too many people who would actually be looking for him, anyways. 

Peter didn’t speak. He glanced at the man, clad in Iron Man armor minus his face plate and helmet, then turned his attention back to his feet. 

“It’s raining... and cold, aren’t you... you’re in a t-shirt, Kid.” 

“’m fine,” Peter promised, voice low and monotone. “How’d you find me? No suit or phone. Got me chipped, or somethin’?” 

“Of course not,” the billionaire looked offended and his voice had dropped an octave, “I wouldn’t do that, Pete.” 

Neither spoke for a second, so the billionaire continued, “by traffic cams,” the billionaire explained quietly, “had to delete some footage of you scaling this building in jeans and a t-shirt.” 

“Figured,” Peter said quietly. He wiggled his toes in his sneakers, biting the inside of his cheek as he realized how cold they’d gotten. 

“I don’t understand, Peter. I... I told you everything, but here you are. Sitting in the pouring rain, soaking wet and still... you’re still mad at me.” 

“You left me.” Peter tilted his head ever so slightly, to catch just a little glimpse of the billionaire’s red and gold suit, “you just... tossed me back into the system. You’ve kept my accident a secret for... for six years. Everyone has.” 

“Peter-” 

“Would you not be mad if you were in my shoes? Would you not be hurt? Everyone I’m supposed to trust, everyone who is supposed to take care of me and love me... they all left me in the dark. Everyone has passed what really happened as a... as a car accident. I _believed_ it, Tony. I believed I was in a car accident. And now... It’s all been flipped around.” Peter spoke softly. He wasn’t as mad anymore; not really. It was being overturned by utter hurt. 

Peter gave a humorless laugh, finally looking at the man who was standing a safe distance from where Peter was sitting, “I don’t know which parts of my life are lies and what’s actually true.” 

“I...” Tony started, “I didn’t know they weren’t going to tell you it was a car accident. I swear, Pete. I had no idea. I guess with the cover up about ending the fostering... telling you that you’d been in a lab accident would’ve raised questions.” The man gave a soft laugh, “you’re a smart kid, they knew you’d piece things together. Afterall, what nine-year-old has access to a lab with things that can explode?” 

“I had access?” Peter looked at the man shocked. He, a nine-year-old, had access to Tony Stark’s multi-million-dollar lab? 

“Oh God, no.” Tony shook his head, “absolutely not, Kid.” 

Now Peter was even more confused. _What?_

“No... I just...” it was the billionaire’s turn to give a humorless laugh, “I underestimated you, Pete. We all did. You were smart. I knew it, but I didn’t think you were a match for Friday... You must have been paying closer attention to what I was doing then I thought you were.” 

“I hacked into Friday?” Peter gaped; eyes wide. “At nine??” 

“You sure did,” there was a bit of a laugh this time. “I don’t know if I was proud, or offended. I mean, I coded her myself, and here comes little child you, hacking into her. And then your friend, who also hacked my coding. Another shot to my pride, let me tell you.” 

Peter gave a little laugh, finally focusing his attention on the man. Tony was still in the suit, but he was starting to look antsy. 

“What was I... that day,” Peter cleared his throat, “what was I doing in the lab?” 

“I wish I knew,” Tony shook his head, “I was... you were with Rhodey. I was in a meeting.” The man paused, “you got Rhodey to play hide-and-seek; you really liked that game. There were lots of places for a little guy like you to hide. While he was seeking... you just... you decided to hit up the lab. Rhodey didn’t... he didn’t know you’d even left the penthouse until Friday informed him of the explosion...” 

So, it had been Peter entirely. He’d almost killed himself, accidentally, of course. There was no one to blame but himself. Peter had ditched his babysitter. Tony was in a meeting (and Pepper probably by his side) and if he’d been messing with Friday, then she wouldn’t have been watching him. 

“That still doesn’t... Why didn’t you keep me, Tony?” Peter’s voice was raw. He was close to crying, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. 

“I wanted too,” Tony’s gaze drifted to the ground, “God, Pete. I wanted to keep you. I wanted nothing more...” The man stopped, eyes shooting to Peter. “Come on, Kid, please. Let’s... Let’s go back to the tower. I’ll keep explaining, but you’re shivering and wet. Peter, please, I can't keep going with you shaking like a leaf.” 

It was then, that Peter realized just how cold he actually was. He’d been numb before, but he was freezing now. He was, indeed, shivering like a jackhammer. Violent shivers that shook his whole body. He fingers were like ice cubes, and his soggy clothes stuck to his body uncomfortably, chafing in places that weren’t very pleasant. 

“...okay.” Peter said quietly, standing on shaky legs. The billionaire strode towards him, hesitant, but clearly relieved. 

“Front or back?” Tony asked. 

“Huh?” 

“Wanna ride on the front or the back? Bridal style or piggy back, Kiddo?” 

Peter’s face scrunched up before he knew it happened. The man laughed at him, but Peter couldn’t find it in himself to be mad. “Back,” the teen decided. 

“Good choice.” The billionaire gave him a small smirk, “you know, every time I carry you bridal style, it’s usually because you’re dying- or close to dying. Piggy back seems like a nice change of pace.” 

Peter rolled his eyes, climbing slowly onto the man’s back. 

“Ready?” Peter nodded, wrapping his arms around Tony’s neck and absentmindedly tucking his face close to the man. Take off had been rough, but it was smooth sailing after that. 

The flight back to the tower was... it was nice. The man smelt of motor grease and fancy cologne. It mixed well with the fresh smell of the rain pelting down on them. Peter really liked how Tony smelt. It was familiar, something he’d always held onto. A childhood smell you always remember, no matter what’s happened. 

Tony landed on the pad on the top of the tower that Peter had always assumed was helicopter pad. Helicopter, Iron Man- practically the same thing. 

“Now, you’re going to go take a warm shower, dress in warm pajamas and grab the fluffiest blanket in your room before I say anything else. I’m not kidding, Peter, you’re turning blue, and I’m not saying another word about any of this until you’re warm again.” 

Peter didn’t bother trying to protest or smooth talk his way to the answers he was seeking. Not when a warm shower sounded wonderful and the thought of warm, fluffy pajamas and blankets were making his brain feel fuzzy. 

“Fine,” he agreed softly, leaving to do as the man asked. 

\---- 

Peter felt amazing to be dry and warm. Not that he’d admit it. The teen had grabbed his fuzziest blanket off his bed (and his blankie, not that anyone would know) before making his way into the living room. 

The billionaire was already there. In his hands, a couple papers, that Peter was instantly curious about. The man too was dressed in different clothes from dinner. He was also in a pair of pajamas. 

Peter stepped in, and that seemed to break the man out of his thoughts. Tony managed a small smile to Peter, as the teen settled on the couch beside the billionaire. As mad as Peter was, Tony was still providing comfort that didn’t seem fair, but at this point, Peter would gladly take what comfort he could get. 

“Hey, Kiddo,” Tony greeted softly, “Pepper’s asleep, so I mean, if we could not... y’know, yell, that would be great.” 

“Okay,” Peter agreed once more. A small part of him was worried about Pepper. He’d seen how sad she was. He had made her cry. He wanted her to be okay, and sleep would probably be good for her. 

“I... I know you have more questions,” Tony started, fingers trailing along the papers in his hands, “but I wanted to show you these before we got into anything else. I know you think... you think that I didn’t want you. You’ve been doubtful since the beginning, which is understandable.... but...” he stopped, fingers freezing on the paper, “just... just take a look.” 

The man pushed the papers into Peter’s hands. The teen looked at Tony uncertainly before focusing on the paper in front of him. 

_These were..._ Peter gaped at the man before reading on. 

Tony had handed him fully filled out adoption papers, minus the final signature to finalize everything. Papers stating that... that Tony was adopting him. That Tony Stark was adopting Peter Parker. Dated back to August 31st, 2010. The day their month of fostering was over. 

“You were...” Peter was perplexed. He was shocked. And surprised. He didn’t know how to feel about this. “You were adopting me?” 

“I... yeah. I was. I told you, Peter, I wanted to keep you. I wanted nothing more than to have you forever... but...” 

“The lab...” 

Tony swallowed, giving a tiny nod of his head, “the lab.” The man rubbed his hands down his face, “I couldn’t... You were so small in that hospital bed, Pete. I... I couldn’t do that to you. You hacked into Friday once- who's to say you couldn’t again? You got hurt in my lab. You outsmarted my technology. I couldn’t... I couldn’t let that happen again, Pete.” 

“But...” 

“I tried... Thought maybe it would work out, maybe I could just... up my coding game. Maybe I wouldn't have to break our hearts and give you up... but then you woke up... and you didn’t remember me, or our month together... and it seemed that I was the only one heartbroken.” 

Peter remained quiet as Tony gathered his thoughts, “it was easier for me to be the only heartbroken one. You... didn’t remember. Remember me. Remember what they were taking you away from. I thought you’d be safer away from me. I... I ruin things, and you were too good for that. I couldn’t go through with the adoption and everything when you could get hurt with me. You had gotten hurt... 

“I won’t lie to you anymore Pete, I was scared. I was terrified that... that something worse than a knock to the head would happen to you. I was scared to let you in all over again, because you... you didn’t remember. But I did. And... It was shitty of me, but I was afraid that if you stayed, you’d get hurt again. Maybe even worse. I’m so sorry, Kid.” 

“That... it wasn’t your fault though.” 

“No...” a pause, “but it was my lab. I was the one who underestimated you. I _knew_ how clever you were...” 

The man squeezed his eyes shut and took a calming breath, “it was a mistake, not signing those papers. I knew it was wrong, but I honestly thought you’d be better off without... without _me_. And after that... well, I could donate money to you, and make sure you were taken care of- but they didn’t like me keep tabs on you. Just kind of... lost track, y’know? Things over here got heavy and shit hit the fan with the Avengers and you were growing up quickly... you didn’t need me, you were doing fine on your own- at least from what few connections I managed to keep.” 

Peter was listening to the man, he was trying too, at least. But he could really only focus on one thing right now, “you really didn’t want to give me up?” Peter barely heard the crack in his voice as he squeaked out the question. He needed to know. It was the one thing he’d always wanted. Someone to want him. 

“No,” the billionaire shook his head, “I really, really wanted you. I loved you with everything I had.... But things... they don’t always work out. I needed you somewhere safe. With someone better than me. You deserved things I just... things I didn’t think I could give you. And I... I thought that would happen, but all I did was fuck your life up too. I’m sorry, Peter. I’m so sorry for everything.” 

Peter didn’t know what came over him, but he lunged over and wrapped around the man. He squeezed Tony hard, burying his face in the man’s shirt, hiding his face in the man’s shirt, which smelt of motor grease and cologne. 

Tony seemed a shocked, for just a second, but he recovered fast, wrapping his arms around Peter and carding his fingers through Peter’s still slightly damp hair. 

“Hey... shh, don’t cry, Kiddo.” 

Tony’s voice was soft. And Peter... he remembered the man talking like that. He remembered many times when the billionaire would hold him just like this and just... hush him. Just hold him close and make sure he was okay. 

Peter hadn’t known he was crying, and had the situation been even a little different, he probably would’ve been embarrassed, but he couldn’t find it in himself right now. He was swimming in emotions he’d never really faced before. Emotions he didn’t have the slightest idea what to do with. 

“’m sorry,” Peter whined into Tony’s shirt. And he was. He was so sorry. He hadn’t really thought of how everything had been for the billionaire. Peter only saw his side. Saw the man’s betrayal, and how he’d wronged Peter. He didn’t think that this... could’ve been hard for Tony too. That the man had a logical reason behind giving Peter back to the foster system. 

“You don’t be sorry,” the billionaire whispered into Peter’s hair, “no, Pete, I should be sorry. Pepper and I are the sorry ones. You... you were just a kid. I was supposed to protect you... Guess I did a pretty terrible job, huh?” 

Peter shook his head slightly from where it was nudged tightly under Tony’s chin. 

“You... you weren’t... You just... and I was... I’m so sorry. I never thought that... that you’d had actual reasons for everything... for giving me up... I’m... I’m s-sorry...” 

Tony had honest to God been trying to do what was best for Peter. To do what he _thought_ was what was best for Peter, despite his own feelings of everything. And Peter had... Peter had blamed Tony. Had blown up on both Tony and Pepper... and they just... they took everything he shouted at them. 

“Hey, shh, it’s alright,” Tony continued to hush. “We’re alright, aren't we?” 

“Yeah,” Peter sniffled, “we’re okay.” 

That said, Peter still didn’t pull away from the embrace. Instead, he curled in closer, snuggling into Tony’s side and nuzzling his nose into the man’s shirt. Tony didn’t seem to mind, holding Peter closer and burying his nose in Peter’s fluffy curls. 

“I missed you so fucking much, Kiddo.” Tony whispered into Peter’s hair. The teen tried not to cry, muffling a cry of anguish into the man’s shirt. 

“Why did no one tell me?” Peter asked softly after a couple minutes of comforting silence. 

“We... The doctor told us that we shouldn’t tell you things. That the best way to come out of injury induced amnesia was to put the child in a familiar place and to treat them the same... let their memory come back by itself... but you’d only been with me for a month, Pete and it wasn’t what you knew. 

“You knew your foster home. You would have been stressed out suddenly being adopted by me... and since you didn’t remember... we, Amanda, Pepper and I, decided that it would be best if you just... were never told that you lived with me.” 

“That-” 

“I know, it’s terrible. But it’s what we had to do. The press are like vultures, Kid. Had they known you were right back into a different foster home; you would have never lived a normal life. We had to lie to keep you safe, as shitty as that is. If anything happened to you, just because you were tied to me even a little bit, I... I never would have forgiven myself... I still don’t forgive myself for what I put you through.” 

“I forgive you,” Peter nuzzled into the man’s side, shutting his eyes and just enjoying how comfortable it felt. How nice it was to just be here with Tony, warm and safe. Know the man’s watching over him, and that the man... that he loves Peter as much as Peter loves him. 

They settled into another silence. But this time, Peter positively loved the silence. It was comfortable and calming. His eyes were shut and his body relaxed completely, as Tony’s fingers ran through his hair, and his other hand rubbed small circles on his back as they sat. 

Peter was warm in his blanket and in the embrace, and the penthouse smelt like home, and Tony smelt like home, and things finally made sense. 

Peter finally knew the truth. He finally knew what he‘d been chasing for years. 

He now knew what everyone had been hiding, why everyone was hiding the truth (not the smartest decision, but it was really too late to voice his opinion on the matter). He had Tony, who had actually wanted to adopt him. The man hadn’t wanted to get rid of Peter like the teenager had thought. It really had been... just unfortunate timing. 

Peter couldn’t blame Tony- or Pepper. He’d forgiven them for using him like they had, because that was pretty shitty. But it had led to so much more. And in this moment, Peter was happy and content- for the first time in as long as he could remember. 

“Does this mean you want to stay? I... I don’t wanna give you up again, but... if that’s... if it’s what you want. I won’t stand in your way.” Tony sounded hopeful, yet ready for defeat. It pulled at Peter’s heart strings. “You deserve to be happy and... if that’s not here...” 

Peter thought back to their conversation. Both of the conversations; in the lab and this one. Tony was the only person to... to ever want to adopt him. To go as far as filling in the adoption papers. He may not have signed them, but he went where no one else had, and it touched Peter to no end that someone- someone like Tony Stark would want him. 

Want him still, even after how Peter had pushed and pushed for answers, how he’d done his share of rebelling and being a brat when they were just trying to look out for him. How he’d taken all his anger out on both Tony and Pepper... and they still... they still wanted him. 

“I want to stay... as long as you guys want me?” 

“Of course, Kid. I’ve always wanted you... There hasn’t been a single day I didn’t miss you, Kiddo. And I assure you, Pepper will agree when she wakes up tomorrow morning and finds us asleep on this couch together.” The billionaire smiled fondly down at Peter. 

“That sounds nice,” Peter yawned. It was late. Past Peter’s Spider-Man curfew and the teenager was exhausted. The emotional strain had drained him. He wanted nothing more than to sleep, and... this seemed like a pretty great place to rest. 

“Pepper was so sure you were going to leave, Bud. She was devastated... we both were.” Tony’s voice was quiet. Peter was tempted to open his eyes and give the man the sentiment the sentence deserved, but he was so content and his eyes were so tired. 

“Go to sleep, Kiddo. I got you.” Tony nuzzled his face into the top of Peter’s head, and the teen finally let his eyes drift closed. 

“I know...” Peter mumbled, already half asleep, into the fabric of Tony’s shirt. The man smiled to himself, hugging his boy just a little closer. For years, this had been the one thing he’d always wanted. The one thing he knew he’d never get again. 

But... Here they were. His Peter curled in his arms once again. To Tony, everything was once again right in the world. _Or_ , his world at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one down! Only one chapter left guys!
> 
> Last chapter is mostly tying up some lose ends and some fluff after all this angst I've given you guys these last few chapters. It's already started, but I know exactly what's going to happen, I just need time to write! As I've been sating It'ss be out within the next ten days.
> 
> Anyways, comments greatly appreciated, as always! I love seeing what you guys think, if you're liking it or things you want to see from me. Really makes my day to see comments! <3
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the last chapter :C


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here guys... The end of the series.
> 
> Do enjoy, I tried to make this chapter extra fluffy to make up for all the angst in the past couple chapters. Thank you all for all the support you've given this series! I never expected people to like this so much, but it's totally awesome! 
> 
> For the last time on this fic, please enjoy~

“Rise and shine, Spider-Baby!” Tony called, pushing Peter’s bedroom door open and letting the light from the hallway stream into the dark bedroom. The billionaire held in a laugh as Peter sat up, hair messed from the night’s sleep and standing up at odd angles. Just like when he was little, with his untamable curls. 

“Whyyyy?” Peter huffed, flopping back down and rolling over in his bed. Tony laughed openly this time from his spot in the doorway, smile wide and fond. 

“C’mon, Kiddo!” The billionaire called brightly, causing Peter to roll over and bury his head under the pillow, “the press conference is in a couple hours and we have to meet Pepper soon to feed your super-human metabolism. Pepper will have both our heads if we’re late.” 

“Ugh,” Peter whined, finally sitting up and attempting to wipe the sleep from his tired eyes. “I don’t understand why I need to be there? What’s so big about this announcement and why can’t just tell me here? I can just eat something here later...” 

“That’s a no from me, Kiddo. A nice lunch out before the conference will do us all some good. And, it’s a surprise, Bud. You know that. Pepper and I want to tell everyone at once- you included.” Tony reminded. “Up you get, let’s go. Pepper’s expecting you to be in a suit and I know how long it takes you to put one of those on.” 

“First, that’s so rude,” Peter rolled his eyes, throwing his blankets back and finally starting to pull himself out of bed, “and secondly, I was out late as Spider-Man and now you’re waking me up at the crack of dawn.” 

“ _First_ ,” Tony mocked, “You knew about this press conference, we told you last night before you left for patrol. We reminded you not to stay out too late, remember?” He did remember that, but he wasn’t about to tell Tony that, “ _and secondly_ , it’s almost noon. We scheduled this specifically for you and your teenager weekend sleeping schedule.” 

With an annoyed, tired groan, Peter finally threw his blankets off and rolled out of bed. Tony smiled briefly with Peter’s progress before turning and shutting the door, “we leave in half an hour. On the dot, Kid. I’ve already let you sleep in later that Pepper told me too.” 

“’kay,” Tony heard Peter mumble as the boy trekked to his ensuite bathroom. 

“Half an hour kid,” Tony reminded again, “or Pepper will definitely murder me.” 

With that, and the sounds of Peter grumbling to himself in the bedroom, the billionaire moved away from Peter’s bedroom to get himself ready as well. He was dressed already; it was mostly just small things like putting a tie on and getting his suit jacket and watch on that he had left to do. 

\---- 

Peter pulled his closet door open, looking down the line of clothes he hadn’t owned two months prior. His eyes fell on the three suits that he’d gotten for Homecoming, when he and Pepper had gone shopping after school. 

He grabbed the navy-blue suit, matching it with a lighter blue dress shirt. He had no idea where his tie had gone, or the one he’d borrowed from Tony, so he knew he’d have to ask to borrow another one. 

When he was finally dressed, Peter returned to the bathroom, rolling his eyes as he brushed out his hair and applied the faintest amount of gel. 

Pepper seemed to really like his curls, and he knew Tony did too by how the corner of the man’s lips would quirk up whenever Peter’s curls were being unmanageable. 

Peter stared at himself in the mirror, eyes glancing over the scar on his forehead, below his hairline, a keepsake from the Vulture and their _fun_ time together. Peter narrowed his eyes at it, before shaking off his utter dislike for the man who dragged him through hell and back. 

Despite that, Peter thought he looked alright, a nice amount of curls left in his hair, but gelled enough to keep his unruly hair in line. The suit fit perfectly, since it had been tailored to him, and the colours Pepper had picked complimented his face and hair perfectly. 

Peter snorted to himself as he finally turned. 

Next step was to talk to Tony. 

Tony and Pepper’s bedroom door was open, just as it usually was, and Peter could see Tony’s silhouette moving around by the closet. 

“Tony?” Peter stepped in, rapping his knuckled on the frame of the doorway. 

“Pete, looking good, Kid.” the billionaire grinned. “You’ve gotten better at this whole dressing up thing- but, hey, where’s your tie, Kid?” 

“About that,” the teen felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment, “I, uh, I misplaced it?” 

Tony stared for a second before his lips curled into an amused grin, “no biggie.” 

The man stepped closer to his closet, pulling open the same drawer Pepper had when she’d let Peter borrow one of Tony’s ties for Homecoming. Peter followed behind, standing just behind Tony as the man dug through his closet. 

“Here we are,” Tony muttered after a second of digging through ties, “a nice navy-blue to compliment your suit. Nice colours choices by the way, was that you or Pepper?” 

Peter’s silence and hesitant smile must have been enough as an answer that Pepper had picked the suit and matching dress shirt out. The billionaire gave a laugh, patting Peter on the shoulder as he passed him the tie. 

“Relax, she picks out most of my suits too. Pep’s got taste, who am I to deny that? Plus, I just don’t want too. I’d wear t-shirts and sweats to these if I had the choice.” 

Peter smiled, taking the tie into his hands. He frowned when he remembered one small problem- 

“I uh... I don’t know how to tie this,” the boy muttered quietly, “Pepper tried to teach me... and so did YouTube, but I didn’t get it.” 

“That’s fine,” Tony turned back, taking the tie into his own hands again. “I can teach you. I've been tying ties for years now-” the billionaire glanced down at his watch, biting his cheek before looking up at Peter and throwing the tie carefully around the boy’s neck, “but not right now, we’re on a time crunch. I can tie it for you today, and teach you for the next time you need a suit, good?” 

Peter gave a nod, to which Tony smiled, his eyes lighting up in a way they did whenever anyone mentioned him and Peter spending any time together, or they stumbled upon any learning/ teaching bonding activity. 

Peter watched as Tony stepped closer, popping the collar of Peter’s shirt up and straightening the tie. The man continued on, taking both ends of the tie into his hands and quickly tying the fabric around his neck. His movements were fluent and Peter found it hard to keep track of it all. It was only like a minute later that Tony was tightening the tie and tucking the collar of Peter’s shirt over the tie. 

“Wow,” Peter commented, turning slightly to look at himself in the spacious mirror across the room. He looked pretty good, if he could say so himself. 

“Wow’s right,” Tony grinned, “you clean up nice, Kiddo.” 

“Gee, thanks,” Peter rolled his eyes, but grinned at the man after. 

“Now, _Audemars Piguet_ or _Vacheron Constantin_?” Tony questioned, walking back to his closet and pulling open another drawer. 

“Um, what or what?” Peter raised a confused eyebrow, stepping up behind him again, where his jaw almost hit the floor when he saw the array of fancy watches. At least a billion dollars' worth in watches sat in Mister Stark’s one drawer. 

“Pick one.” 

“No!” Peter gaped, jumping back when the billionaire turned to him, “that’s... no way. Those watches cost more than _I do_.” 

“Nonsense,” Tony rolled his eyes, “pick one.” 

“No-” 

“You pick one, or I will,” Tony grinned. The threat worked, since Peter knew that the man would strap the most expensive wrist watch he owned onto Peter. 

The teen swallowed, moving forwards to look at all the watches sparkling in the bright lighting of the bedroom. 

“Don’t you have like... a Walmart watch or something? Target, possibly? Something _cheap_?” 

“You mean like a _Rolex_?” The billionaire’s face scrunched up in disgust. 

“No!” Peter cried, “that’s like... what do you mean! I don’t need a watch, honest.” 

“Of course, you need a watch, you’re showing up with me, Pete.” The man smiled to himself, “now, the Rolex is the cheapest watch I own, Kiddo.” the billionaire teased, “Rolex or my choice~” 

“Fine,” Peter huffed, “Rolex me.” The teen held his wrist out, cringing as Tony strapped a watched that could possibly cost more than his whole high school and university tuition combined. The watch was beautiful, much so too much to be on his wrist. 

“Would you relax?” Tony teased, throwing his arm around Peter’s shoulder and leading him out of the bedroom, “It goes with the suit. No one will even notice it, I promise. You need to get used to having money and nice things, Kiddo.” 

“And why do I have to do that?” Peter raised his eyes to Tony, who was now biting his lip. 

Tony didn’t speak for a second, eyes shifting around the room, “oh, jeez, look at the time on your Rolex,” the man grabbed Peter’s wrist, tilting it so the face of the clock could be seen, “we have to get going. Pepper’s probably waiting, and if we’re super later she'll be pissed.” 

And then Peter was ushered out of the penthouse and into the elevator. 

Tony was driving, so Peter assumed that Happy was busy being security at Stark Industries. 

They pulled up to a small bistro. The place was nice, but expensive looking- much to the billionaire’s taste. It was just a couple minutes from the Stark Industries building. Tony led Peter in, glancing behind himself at the teenager ever couple steps to make sure he was still following. 

Pepper was sitting at a table for three, focused intently on her phone. Tony gave a nervous look back to Peter before finally stepping closer. 

“You’re late,” she muttered without looking up, but when she did, she gave Tony an overexaggerated sickly sweet smile. “I’m going to take a guess that Petey just rolled out of bed, because someone didn’t stick to the plan?” 

The man snorted as he seated himself in one of the two seats, and Peter followed behind like ducking; taking the remaining seat. 

“He needed the extra beauty sleep,” Tony shrugged. “Right, Pete?” 

“Uhm, yeah, sure.” Peter agreed slowly, tilting his head innocently towards Pepper. 

“I’m sure.” Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony. “You look very handsome, Peter.” 

“T-thanks, Pepper.” Peter felt heat raise to his cheeks. 

“Aren’t I handsome too?” Tony pouted theatrically, causing Peter stifle a laugh into his fist. 

“You have your days,” Pepper shrugged uninterestedly. 

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed, and then he frowned sadly. Pepper leaned over to tap his cheek a couple times and then the man was back to normal. Peter loved their dynamic. 

Tony ordered three appetizer platters, as well as everyone’s lunch choices. The appetizers were for the table, but they all knew who would eat the majority of them. Peter still felt a bit guilty about that, but whenever he brought it up, Tony always waved it off. Reminded him that he was in fact a billionaire. 

Lunch was nice, the conversations around the table light and joking and the pick-me-up of food really helped Peter’s slightly sour mood of getting only a couple hours of sleep. The food was delicious and filling, and probably very, very over-priced, considering that the menu didn’t have any prices listed beside the items. 

“So, uh, there is a reason for this... little lunch date,” Tony said slowly, drawing in Peter’s attention. The teen had been gazing around at all the empty tables around them. That in itself was confusing since it was lunch? 

“Uh huh?” Peter eyes the two. Tony looked nervous, and Pepper just trying to conceal a smile. “Why’re we here then?” 

“Well, we did come for lunch,” Pepper explained, “and it really does take the edge off to have a full tummy during a press conference.” 

“But... I wanted to, uh, to ask you something... or, well, tell you something, I guess... Before we head over there.” 

“Ask me something?” Peter repeated slowly, “ask... ask what?” 

“Well, uh,” Tony looked towards Pepper, then down to his fingers before back up to Peter, “last time I tried to do this, I didn’t really tell you.... but this time... this time I’m doing it right.” 

“Um?” Peter’s eyes flicked to Pepper, who was rifling through a folder Peter had assumed was for the press conference. He watched her fingers land on a small booklet of papers, stapled in the top left corner. She studied it for a second before passing the papers to Tony. 

Tony cradled the papers in his hand for a moment, swallowing once before finally holding the papers out across the table for Peter to take. 

Peter blinked at them, slowly grabbing the booklet. He didn’t look down right away, instead studying the couple before him. They looked nervous. Tony more so than Pepper, but the woman too was biting her lip as she watched Peter. Tony stared directly at the papers, face neutral. 

Peter finally let his eyes trail down to the papers, his eyes catching on the word _adoption_ , which stood out due to it being bolded in a sea of regular standard text. 

Peter gaped, mouth falling wide open as his eyes shot to Tony’s. The man was no longer looking at the booklet, instead waiting to catch Peter’s eye. 

“R-really?” Peter’s voice cracked as he asked, eyes tearing up. Tony swallowed again, blinking fast before giving a light nod and a small smile. 

Peter was quick to flip to the last page of the document, where signatures could be fine. The papers were almost identical to the ones he’d looked at down in the living room- except... except for the dates had changed and... this time... there was a finalizing signature belonging to none other than Anthony E. Stark. 

That was the one thing the papers from 2010 didn’t have. The final thing needed to make things official. This was official. Peter was adopted. Tony had adopted him... 

_He had a family now_. 

“Are you sure?” Peter whispered brokenly, trying not to cry on the papers. It felt like a practical joke. Like someone was going to pop up and laugh at him. It was too perfect. This was too perfect. He’d wanted this for such a long time, it didn’t seem real. He couldn’t wrap his brain around it. 

“Sweetie,” Pepper hummed out a broken laugh of the word, voice pent up with multiple emotions. She too was wiping her eyes, trying hard not to cry in the restaurant. 

“You were the greatest thing to happen to me, Pete.” Tony breathed out, wiping his eyes, “I don’t know where I’d be without you, Kiddo. And it’s about time I finally made you mine. _Officially_ , I mean. Now people will have to take you over my dead body.” 

Peter lifted his hands to his face, the papers fluttering to the table. His hands covered his face, blocking his view and their view of his tear-stained cheeks and wet eyes. Peter gave a stuttered breath into his hands, holding back a sob. 

He heard a chair scratch on the ground, but didn’t look up. In the next second he was surrounded by the familiar scent of fancy cologne and motor oil. And Peter instantly buried his face in the man’s suit jacket. Peter felt Tony’s hand on his shoulder, and the other running carefully through his hair and holding his head against his abdomen. 

“I really hope those are happy tears, Bud,” Tony leaned down a little to whisper to Peter. The man’s voice was kidding, but there was an underlying tone of anxiety. 

Peter laughed at that. Tear-stained, and eyes dripping with tears, the teen laughed. 

“They are,” Peter forced out, finally standing to meet the man and hug him tightly. Tony was quick to return the hug, holding Peter against him and grounding Peter to reality. 

The hug was everything Peter could ever want in his life. It was warm and comfortable, secure and _his_. This was a hug that was in it for the long haul. This was the hug of a _parent_. 

They hugged for a while, Tony swaying them back and forth. 

“Is this why the restaurant is empty?” Peter muttered into the man’s shoulder, finally, after minutes upon minutes of trying to contain his emotions, feeling stable enough to continue with the day. 

Tony laughed, loud and bright- eyes still wet with unshed tears. The man pulled away just enough to look Peter in the eyes, “you got me.” The man laughed again, pulling Peter into another hug, “I rented the whole place out for this.” 

“How much did that-” 

“Shhh... billionaire, remember?” Tony whispered teasingly to Peter before finally pulling away. “Now, uh, this press thing, it’s kind of to introduce you. Just so people don’t get the wrong idea, and people know not to touch you.” 

“That’s why I needed to be here?” Peter snorted to himself, taking a breath and sniffling before looking up at both Tony and Pepper. Tony gave him a smile and shrugged his shoulders. 

It made Peter happy, in a non-sadistic kind of way to see that this had emotionally wrecked both Tony and Pepper as well as himself. They were happy he was happy. Happy he was staying with them. 

“Now,” Pepper’s voice broke. She cleared her throat, wiping under her eyes with her napkin before restarting, “now, this conference is going to be starting in twenty minutes. Think that’s enough time to make ourselves look like we haven’t just been crying?” 

“Yeah, sure,” Tony nodded, clearing his own throat to get rid of the lump of emotions he was almost choking on. 

“Yeah,” Peter agreed, wiping his face on his suit sleeves. He smiled into the fabric before looking up again at where Pepper and Tony both were trying to make themselves look presentable. 

\---- 

Despite earlier’s emotion fest, everyone was business ready by the time the trio stepped into Stark Industries. 

From their drive by of the front doors, on their way to the emergency exit they were going to be slipping in through, Peter couldn’t help but feel nervous when his eyes caught the mob of reporters and journalists huffing and shouting by the front doors. 

“That’s a lot of people,” Peter commented absentmindedly, glancing to the two in the front. Tony shrugged and Pepper nodded solemnly. Peter could clearly decipher who’d grown up in the limelight and which adult hadn’t. And it made him smile. 

“Don’t worry, Bub, Happy’s got us covered. He’s the forehead of security, remember?” Peter smiled, laughing as Pepper smacked Tony’s arm. She scolded the man sharply, telling him to leave their friend alone. 

Happy had been waiting by the emergency exit when Tony pulled the car to a stop just beside the doors. Happy waved, stony as usual. The billionaire groaned in his seat, throwing his head back tiredly. “Let’s just reschedule, I’m tired.” 

“Tony, no.” 

“Alright, fine.” Tony huffed, “Let’s just get in there before the press starts a riot outside.” Tony pushed his door open to exit the vehicle. They got out quickly, and then Pepper, who was the voice of everything involving the business led the three guys into the building. 

Pepper led them in, but Tony kept a grounding hand on Peter’s shoulder as they walked into the building. The billionaire steered the teen along as Peter’s eyes widened at the parts of SI he’d never seen before. 

The conference room was huge when they walked in. Peter almost gaped. There was a stage off to one side, and rows of chairs lining the room. A podium stood tall in the center of the stage, there was a man on the stage running cables along that connected to the microphone and another pushing the podium into place. 

Pepper pulled Peter into a side hug, cupping his cheeks and pressing a kiss to his head as he thumbs ran along his cheeks, just under his eyes. It was warm and nice, and, just like any gesture from Pepper, Peter found himself leaning into her touch. 

Pepper gave him a light smile before pulling away and walking to the stage and up the stairs, only stopping when she met up with the man aligning the podium. 

When Peter looked away from Pepper and back at Tony and Happy, who were talking in hushed voices. Peter watched Happy drop something small into Tony’s hand. The man tightened his fist around the small object, smiling at his friend. 

Tony patted Peter on the top of his head before continuing by and stepping up the stairs up to the stage in a couple paces. Peter watched where he stood, left off to the side with Happy while Tony joined Pepper up on the stage. Tony snaked an arm around Pepper’s waist, and Peter couldn’t help but smile. 

Finally, Peter tore his attention away from the two, looked around the room before glancing at Happy, who stood stony beside him. 

“So... what was that about?” Peter asked Happy now that they were by themselves, gesturing absently to where Tony and Happy had been standing when they exchanged whatever it was that Happy had. 

“What was what?” Happy shrugged, eyes following Pepper and Tony on the platform. 

Peter eyed him for a minute. Happy shifted on his feet, eyes trailing back and forth from Tony and Pepper, “you know something,” Peter decided. 

Happy’s eyes shifted to Peter. He cleared his throat before returning his gaze to Pepper. “C’mon Happy!” Peter tried, “I wanna know what’s going on! What did you give Tony?” 

“I don’t know what you mean?” the man stuttered, façade breaking a little as a small teasing smile settled on his face. Peter huffed in irritation, giving the man a light sideways glare. “Besides, you’ll know in like twenty minutes.” 

Peter groaned. Leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms across his chest. 

“Why’s Petey pouting?” Peter looked up and couldn’t help but smile at Pepper. 

“’m not pouting,” Peter pouted. 

“It’s nothing,” Happy waved off, “just teasin’ the kid a bit, right, Pete?” 

Pepper laughed, patting Peter’s cheek in sympathy as Peter casted a sideways glance at Happy, more so confused than irritated now. 

“Alright.” Pepper shrugged. “We’re going to be starting soon, Sweetie. Everything’s ready. Tony is going to call you up to stand with us; you don’t have to say anything. Just stand there and look adorable like I know you can. For now, though, Happy’s going to be taking you off to the side since we’ll be letting everyone in a couple minutes.” 

“Alright,” Peter frowned. He was a bit nervous about everything. As far as he could remember, this was his first press conference, although he knew he’d been to one before. He had a feel it hadn’t ended well, if his tear wet, red face had been smooshed in Tony’s shoulder as the man carried him out. 

“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Pepper smiled, “It’ll be easy, I promise. Straight forward, just let Tony do all the talking and if things do go wrong, which they won’t, Happy will take you right out to the car, okay?” 

“Okay.” Peter gave a nod. The teen watched as she turned, then walked away. With Happy acting weird and Pepper not knowing what was going on, Peter couldn’t help but feel like something was going to be going down. 

“Let’s go, Kid.” Peter looked up, shaking himself from his thoughts and following Happy to a corner in the room where no one but the people on the platform could see them. 

Peter watched silently as the doors were pulled open and the room was filled with a stream of people. The shouting from outside had quieted to a heavy murmur amongst the people. Tony and Pepper had left the room so the reporters could get settled before seeing them. 

The same man from earlier, who Pepper had gone to talk too, was the first to walk onto the stage. He tapped the microphone to get everyone’s attention before introducing Pepper and Tony. Tony and Pepper were quick to follow the man on stage, quieting the audience. 

“Good afternoon, and thank you for coming under such short notice,” Pepper greeted with a smile, “we’ve invited you all here for a special occasion. There’s something that Mister Stark would like to share with you all. We’d like to avoid any speculation on this topic, so you all will be getting the honest information here.” 

“Actually,” Tony stepped up to the podium, leaning around Pepper to speak into the microphone, “I have a couple things to share. Two, to be exact.” 

Pepper’s hand covered the microphone and she leaned over to Tony, whispering to him. Tony was getting scolded, Peter could tell. Finally, after the room erupted in chatter, Pepper shook her head in exasperation as she stepped to the side and Tony moved into the spotlight. 

“Hey, hello. Welcome back. Short intermission, but we’re back. I need the attention back on me now, yeah, thanks.” The chatter died again, everyone ready to get the newest scoop about Tony Stark. “Yes, good.” 

Tony cleared his throat, and even Peter leaned closer as if that could help him hear better. 

“Let’s take a trip... Back to August, 2010. I’m sure everyone’s heard the stories, ‘Tony Stark taking in an orphaned little boy’, right? Spoiling and taking care of him, yada, yada, right?” Peter blinked where he was standing, only glancing away when Happy’s hand fell onto his shoulder. He was so nervous that this could all backfire. 

“I’m not going to say much more, that was then, of course, and this is now, but y’know, if you delve down in the right websites you can learn all about that,” Tony waved a dismissive hand. 

“Now, there is a reason for this conference. I have a couple things to say, and someone I want to introduce to the world for real, before you people can twist things and come up with a scandal or something.” Tony paused, eyes landing on Peter. The billionaire gave him a small, supportive smile before continuing, “c’mon, Pete. Get up here.” 

And then Happy was giving him a light shove and his feet were moving on autopilot up the steps and standing beside the two occupying the stage. Pepper moved over a little so Peter could be sandwiched between the two. 

“Now, I’m going to be really clear right now. Cameras ready? Voice recorders? Good, now, if I see anyone at my door, people on my property trying to get pictures, or anyone harassing my kid at all, I will sue you for all you’re worth and let me tell you, I will not lose.” Peter tilted his head in surprise at the threat, but then Tony’s arm was wrapping around his shoulder and he was being pulled into the man’s side. 

“He’s to be left alone. He’s a minor, and I will not stand for people harassing him.” 

Pepper’s hand was now on Peter’s forearm, giving it a light squeeze. 

“Now that that’s out of the way, I’d like to introduce everyone to Peter, he’d like to keep some of himself private, so we will not be disclosing his last name. Yes, this is the same Peter from 2010, yes, we’ve been reunited, and no, we will not be answering any questions about that today. That’s not the reason for this press conference.” Tony squeezed Peter a bit tighter, “after six long years, and being reunited through an internship program hosted at Peter’s school. I can finally announce that I am adopting Peter.” 

Gasps filled the room, as well as cameras flashing and nearly blinding him. Peter was a bit uncomfortable standing up on a stage in front of at least fifty reporters, sandwiched between Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. 

His heart hammered in his chest, but it wasn’t entirely nerves. There was a bigger part of himself pleased that this was happening, that this was finally real- and he could talk about it openly. A light, warm feeling filling his chest as he looked up at the billionaire, then turned his head to gaze at Pepper as well. 

There would be no more sneaking around. He’d have reason to be hanging out with Tony and Pepper without lewd rumors spreading. He was Tony Stark’s adopted son. He belonged with them now. 

“Yes, yes. I know. Amazing. Me, Tony Stark, adopting someone. Unbelievable.” Tony rolled his eyes with a huff of frustration before continuing, “as said before he’s off limits. No stalking him for your petty rivalries, and no following him for questions or statements. Assault charges will be filed, and I will not play nice when it comes to my _son_.” 

Tony let the room fade into jabber, people yelling questions and trying to get statements. This was actually kind of cool to Peter, who’d been a nobody for his life. Having people taking his pictures and shouting questions in general curiosity. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” the man called after a minute, instantly gaining the room’s attention again, “who said I was done? I’ve got more to share. Two things to share, remember?” 

Peter tilted his head to look over at Pepper, who now looked just as confused as he felt. When she caught Peter’s eye, the woman gave him a small shrug, then turned her attention back on Tony. 

Tony turned now, releasing Peter from his side and giving Pepper a half smile. 

“Pepper Potts,” the man said, voice small and fond. It projected with the help of the microphone. Tony pulled the microphone from the stand and turned to Pepper, “Pepper, Pepper, Pepper.” 

Peter shuffled back, watching curiously from the side of stage. 

“Pepper Potts. The one who’s been by my side for... for so many years. The only person to see all of me, and to stay right beside me, no matter what stupid stunts I’ve pulled. My prized CEO, who has done wonders for my company. The woman who’s worked for so long to keep my- _our_ company and my life afloat.” The man was slowly closing the gap between himself and Pepper. 

Peter still wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but the cameras were flashing. People were surprisingly quiet. Pepper had her eyes narrowed at Tony, and she appeared to be fighting off a smile. 

“The love of my life; the one who’s seen me at my worst, and at my best and you’re... you’re still here. You’ve always been here.” 

Now Peter understood, gasping quietly as he lifted his hand to his mouth in surprise. 

“I gotta tell you Pep, I can’t imagine my life without you. I won’t even try, because it’ll suck. You’re one of the best things that’s happened to me,” Pepper’s eyes flicked over to Peter, then back to Tony who was now pushed up into her personal space. “You’re an amazing woman. Amazing, interesting, loyal and simply the most beautiful being I’ve ever laid eyes on. 

“We’ve been through thick and thin; taken on tasks we probably shouldn’t have... and we always manage come out on top. I’d say we’re a pretty good duo...” Peter watched, stunned as Tony picked up Pepper’s hand, then slowly got down on one knee. The room went crazy, multiple flashes going off. 

The man paused, digging through his pocket, only to pull out a sparkling diamond engagement ring. “I love you more than anything, I can’t do this without you, Pep... So, will you do me the honor of allowing me to become your husband?” 

Pepper’s hand that Tony wasn’t holding lifted to cover her mouth. There was a pause. A silence in the room. Peter swallowed, watching closely. 

“Whaddya say, Sweetheart? Marry me?” Tony asked softly, “help me raise our boy?” 

Pepper swallowed, biting her lip before nodding. She breathed a quiet ‘yes’ that the microphone didn’t pick up, but Peter’s super hearing did, and it had the teenager tearing up. 

The crowd erupted into claps and cheers, knowing that Pepper had accepted. Some people abandoned their cameras to clap, while others continued to capture the engagement. Peter joined in, clapping loudly as his eyes welled with tears. 

Tony stood now, embracing Pepper in a tight hug before taking her hand to slip the ring over her ring finger. Pepper took a second to admire the ring before pulling Tony into a kiss. 

There was more cheering for everyone else in the room. 

When they pulled apart, Tony gestured Peter back over. Peter swallowed before stepping towards them, only to be pulled into a hug by Pepper. Tony wrapped the two of them into a hug, ginning widely. 

When he stepped back, he took the microphone back into his hand and announced, “that’s it, folks. We’re done here. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ve got some celebrating to do.” 

Tony grabbed Pepper’s hand, then threw his other arm over Peter’s shoulder, leading the two out of the room- shielding their teary eyes and flushed faces from the cameras. 

\---- 

After that press conference, Peter had been the talk of Midtown. Those who hadn’t believed him, were now suddenly all accepting of his internship, and he now had quite a few social media follows. Peter didn’t bother with anyone other than the people who’d been his friends before everything happened with the billionaire. Ned, MJ and the Decathlon team were more than enough friends for him anyways. 

Both _StarkAdoption_ and _StarkProposal_ were trending on every media platform, and Pepper and Peter spent a great deal of time teasing the other when one of them would trend more than the other- which never lasted for long. 

Peter had never in his life, been happier than he was now. Happy to have a forever home... to have people like Tony, Pepper, Ned and MJ in his life. The family and friends he’d dreamed of since he was seven years old. 

He had a dad, and a mom. He couldn’t ask for better ones. Adoptive parents who are up to par with his parents, Ben and May. Not the originals, or the doting aunt and uncle combo, but they were perfect. And they were his. And they loved him as much, if not more than his mom, dad, uncle Ben and aunt May. 

Peter turned to look at them. Pepper and Tony, cuddled up on the couch as they watched a romcom of Pepper’s choosing. Peter didn’t mind the movie selection, not that he was really watching it. 

They’d been so good to him. Both Tony and Pepper. 

Peter thought back to that morning. The morning after he and Tony had fallen asleep on the couch after their conversation and heart-to-heart. 

She’d been so excited. Ecstatic really. Pulling Peter into her arms and pressing kisses to his hair after he’d stirred from sleep. She had carded her fingers through his hair, settling beside him on the couch and just cuddling into him- she'd thanked him for staying, and it tore at Peter’s heart. Pepper refused to let him go for a solid hour. 

Not that he’d tried to get away. He enjoyed every second of it. And he liked it even more when Tony woke up, only to lean over and throw an arm over the back of the couch, trapping Peter between the two. 

Pepper had just been so sad... and Peter could now see just how much he meant to the newly engaged couple. They were a family. In everything but blood. 

And it was everything Peter could ever want. 

**-A Couple Months Later-**

Peter’s steps were quick as he stepped into the elevator that would lead him into the lab. He bounced on his feet, excitement shaking his body. 

When the doors opened, Peter sprinted out, barreling straight into Tony. He nearly knocked the man over, but Tony was quick to steady both himself and Peter before either could topple over. 

“Where’s the fire?” the man teased, hands holding Peter in place by a steady hold on his shoulders. 

“I...” Peter grinned, huffing and slightly out of breath. “I remember,” he breathed out, eyes studying Tony for his reaction. 

“You...” the man gaped, “you...” 

“I remember!” Peter repeated, grinning brightly. “I remember! I remember it all, Dad!” 

Peter paused, gaped at his own words. He hadn’t... he’d never called Tony- 

“You remember,” Tony whispered, voice soft as his hold on Peter tightened. The man blinked, then blinked more as his eyes grew wetter and wetter. 

“I remember,” Peter gave the man a watery smile, taking the first step and wrapping his arms around the man’s chest and burying his face away in the grease scented band t-shirt the billionaire was wearing. “I remember it all, dad. I remember it all...” 

Peter could feel the man swallow once before he was squeezed in a tight hug and Tony was burying his own face in Peter’s curls. Peter grinned as the man pressed a light kiss to the top of his head. He remembered this. He remembered the feeling of this. He’d _missed_ this. 

“You remember,” Tony stammered again, as if he couldn’t actually wrap his head around it. 

“I remember the day I came here, and I remember meeting Pepper at my foster home. I remember that night I had the nightmare and you let me sleep in your bed with you, and the first press conference where you carried me out because I was scared- then, then you took us to lunch and made someone get the manager so I could get grilled c-cheese...” Peter was crying now, “I remember my a-asthma attack, and my first birthday party since being in the system... and... and meeting Captain America, and Blackwidow, and, and, Hawkeye and his wife and kids... and, oh God, I had an asthma attack in front of Captain America, Dad!” 

“You did,” Tony sniffled, “you... you remember. Oh, Peter, you remember.” 

“I remember how much I love you, and how much I love Pepper.... and how good you were too me... I remember it all,” Peter cried. “I was... it was for you.” 

“What was for me?” Tony asked quietly as he ran his fingers through Peter’s hair. His voice cracked, emotion weighing his voice down. 

“In the lab... while playing hide-and-seek with Rhodey, I was... it was for you. I don’t remember what I was... what I was trying to make, or what blew up... but I was making you a gift. Because the month was up... and that had been the deal.” 

“You were making something for me?” the billionaire asked quietly. Broken by the sentiment. 

“It was a gift,” Peter supplied softly, “I didn’t want you to forget me... I didn’t know you were... that you wanted to keep me.” 

“I did,” the man offered with a hoarse voice, “I was... filling out the paperwork when Rhodey called that you’d... that you’d been in an accident. Dropped everything to be with you. I left like twenty lawyers in the conference room.” 

“I know,” Peter whispered carefully, “well, not that second thing, but I know you wanted to keep me...” Peter nuzzled into the man. 

“More than anything,” Tony whispered back. “You have no idea, Kiddo.” 

“I know.” 

“But you came back...” 

“Yeah... I did.” Peter smiled, “and I’m not leaving anytime soon.” 

“Thank God.” 

“We have to go tell Pepper now! She’ll be so happy! I just had to tell you first- couldn’t contain myself even if I tried!” Peter grinned, finally pulling away from the man’s embrace. “We can talk more later, right? I wanna know everything. Every little detail. Did I really run laps with Captain America??” 

“You’re amazing, Kid. You know that?” Tony snorted a fond laugh at Peter’s awe, throwing an arm over Peter shoulders to walk him out of the lab. 

“And... yeah, you tried to do laps with Capsicle- y’know, before you tried to almost die on me. Which you _still_ do, even after all these years. You know, I’ve got a bad heart, Kid.” 

And now, leading his kid out of the lab, and listening to him laugh; going to see his fiancée and share the amazingly unbelievable news Peter had bestowed to him... Tony’s world is complete. 

The unlikely outcome... But not impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done, it's over! :(
> 
> This is the press conference from _Spider-Man: Homecoming_ that we never got to see. I thought it was cute, so I just rolled with it. All of the fluff for the last piece of the story :D
> 
> I've finally finished this, and it was even before the New Year, which was my goal when I started this series way back when. What a way to end 2019, amirite? I'm actually pretty sad this series is over. It's my longest (actually completed) work series, and I love it.
> 
> I hope you've all enjoyed the journey- the twists and turns and emotions I've dragged you through. Big thank you to everyone who's taken the time to read this- from the new readers who've read it all in a couple days, to the ones who've been here since Publicity Parent! And a special thanks to those people who've commented on most of the chapters, you know who you are, and I'm so thankful for you guys!
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated! I enjoy reading anything you guys have to say about my work! Keep an eye out, because I have some other story ideas in the progress of being written. Look out for those in the new year!
> 
> Thanks once more, and have a happy holidays and I wish 2020 to be a good year for us all! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> Comments, Kudos and even bookmarking really brightens my day! :)
> 
> I'll be back with a new chapter soon!


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